In a cable to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior who is also Chairman of Hajj Higher Committee, congratulated the monarch on the safe, comfortable and easy arrival of pilgrims at the holy sites via the Kingdom's air, land and sea inlets.
In his cable, he said the pilgrims benefited from the host of services and facilities made available at their disposal as per the Kingdom's vision 2030, citing the implementation of Makkah Road as one of its initiatives whereas pilgrims finalize entry procedures at the departure destination.
The report said that the number of pilgrims coming from outside amounted to 1,756,039, out of them 930,030 are males, representing 53% and 826,009 females representing 47%.
The report added that the total number of pilgrims coming from abroad overpassed last year's number by 1,666, an increase of 0.1%.
As many as 1,654,265 came by air, 85,163 by land and 16,163 by sea, the report concluded, adding that this year's pilgrims belong to 165 nationalities.