Indonesians to Pay Rp 35 Million to Perform Hajj Pilrimage This Year

Indonesian pilgrims wave before boarding the plane that would fly them to Saudi Arabia.

Jakarta, 01 Rajab 1438/29 Marh 2017 (MINA) – The Indonesian government has set the cost of performing the Hajj pilgrimage this year at Rp34.89 million or USD2,600, an increase of 25 per cent from last year.

Bernama and online media quoted Ali Taher Parasong, the House of Representatives Chairman of Commission VIII, as saying on Tuesday that among the factors contributing to the increase were the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar and rise of aviation fuel prices.

However, he said the government would extend extra services, including providing two meals a day as long as the pilgrims were in Makkah and Madinah.

In addition, tents used for wukuf in Arafat have been upgraded to the new heat-resistant tents equipped with air conditioning system, he said.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population and the number of its Haj pilgrims this year is 221,000 people, up by 31.4 per cent over last year.

In conjunction with the state visit of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to Indonesia, the Saudi government had also announced its decision to reinstate the original Haj quota and give additional quota to Indonesia. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)