By Abdul Aziz Ghazzawi

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

MAKKAH — The Ministry of Haj and Umrah will introduce a new category of Haj services for domestic pilgrims, featuring the lowest cost for performing the annual pilgrimage.

The fourth category will be introduced for this year’s Haj so that a larger number of Saudi and expatriate pilgrims can perform the obligatory ritual at a much affordable rate without compromising the quality of services, according to Abdurahman Al-Haqbani, chairman of the Coordination Council for Domestic Haj Companies and Establishments.

During the last year’s Haj, there were three categories of services for domestic pilgrims — general, facilitated and the low-cost.

Al-Haqbani said the pilgrims who are chosen for the fourth category need to pay the lowest fare compared with the existing three other categories.

He said that the ministry’s e-portal is expected to be opened for registration of Haj on Ramadan 15 (May 20).

He said that there are a total of 193 companies and establishments qualified to provide services for domestic pilgrims for the next Haj.