- Bangladeshis will pay $920 less than this year for the 2025 pilgrimage package
- Hajj quota for Bangladesh was 127,000 in 2024 but only 85,000 pilgrims traveled
DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government cut the cost of Hajj packages on Wednesday to make the spiritual journey more accessible in next year’s pilgrimage season.
Last year, Saudi Arabia granted Bangladesh a quota of 127,000 pilgrims, but high inflation and the cost of flights to the Middle East meant only 85,000 were able to embark on the spiritual journey.
In 2024, the minimum government rate for Hajj was nearly $5,000; for 2025, it will be about 20 percent lower.
“We have announced two Hajj packages today for next year’s Hajj. It’s good news for our pilgrims that costs have been reduced significantly this time, compared with last year. In one package, it has been reduced by $920, and in another one, the cost is reduced by around $100,” Matiul Islam, additional secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, told Arab News.
“This huge reduction in the Hajj expense was mainly possible due to the reduction in plane fare and accommodation facilities.”
Under the cheaper package, pilgrims will stay in accommodation some 3 km from the Great Mosque of Makkah, while hotels will be located within 1.5 km of the sacred site under the more expensive one.
Bangladesh, one of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, also struggled to meet its Hajj quota in 2023, as few people were able to afford it.
The government is hopeful this will not be the case in 2025.
“We hope that the Hajj quota will be fulfilled as Hajj expenses have been reduced significantly. As of today, around 9,000 pilgrims (are) registered for next year,” Islam said.
“I think the prospective pilgrims will register for Hajj in huge numbers in the next weeks, as many of them were waiting for the announcement of the new package.”
Next year’s Hajj is expected to begin on June 4. The deadline for Bangladeshi pilgrims to register is Nov. 30.
