MADINA: About two million Haj pilgrims visiting the Prophet’s Mosque this year are expected to pump SR2 billion into the Madina economy.
A recent statistical report showed that so far over 900,000 visitors have arrived in Madina and spent about SR500 million at the city’s markets and malls. The report indicated that malls at the central area surrounding the Prophet’s Mosque will have the lion’s share of the pilgrims’ spending.
Muhammad Al-Lahaibi, a businessman in Madina, said there are encouraging signs that this year will see better business than last year.
This is because there are now a spread of malls on the roads and streets leading to the Prophet’s Mosque, which attracts visitors.
He said the most thriving markets in Madina are the ones that sell clothes, souvenirs and electrical appliances.Another flourishing business in Madina is the date trade. No visitor to Madina leaves the city without buying the Madina date which over the ages has earned a reputation for its superior quality. This explains why date traders organize date festivals this time of the year.
Merchants in the central shopping centers in Madina have started offering commissions to bus drivers who direct their passengers to these centers. Some of them offer the drivers SR10 per head. The practice has become common in Madina. It has created fierce competition among bus drivers starting from the early morning hours to midnight. This means that hundreds of visitors throng these markets because the drivers transport their passengers for free.
Electrical appliance merchants have been worried about the possibility that the market could be flooded with fake goods. They fear that this will damage the reputation of the merchants at the market and drive customers away.
Ramadan, a merchant in the business for decades, complained that the authorities are not doing enough to monitor and control the market and keeping a check on those who have unlicensed stalls in the area.
He said it is human nature for visitors to be attracted by cheap prices and then be preyed upon by unscrupulous merchants. The mayoralty’s inspectors are expected to increase their patrols at the central area to prevent unlicensed stalls from blocking the passages leading to the Prophet’s Mosque. Dr. Yousif Bin Ahmad, Chairman of the National Guides’ Establishment in Madina, said he expects more than a million pilgrims to visit the Prophet’s Mosque after Haj. This is in addition to the 900,000 visitors who have already visited.