Riyadh, Feb 2 (Arab News): Acting Makkah Gov. Prince Badr bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz chaired a meeting of the Makkah Region Development Authority at its headquarters in Jeddah.

Prince Badr, who is vice president of the authority, was briefed on its organizational links, functions and tasks, including the provision of public utilities.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ibrahim Al-Sultan, adviser to the Royal Court and a member of the authority, and Dr. Hisham Al-Falih, its executive director.

Prince Badr chaired another meeting in the presence of Dr. Mohammed Salih Bentin, minister of Hajj and Umrah, and Dr. Hisham Al-Faleh, undersecretary of the Makkah region. That meeting reviewed the Hajj and Umrah Ministry’s initiatives to help pilgrims.

Developing Hajj and Umrah organizations and services in the Kingdom is among the top priorities of the Saudi government.

The Vision 2030 reform plan aims to attract more than 30 million Umrah pilgrims, and provide them with excellent services and an outstanding experience.

The number of Umrah visas issued this year has reached 3,486,363, of which 3,020,686 pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom, according to data provided by the Hajj and Umrah Ministry.

There are 467,017 pilgrims still in the Kingdom, with 326,440 in Makkah and 140,577 in Madinah.

The weekly data also included the number of Saudi staff within Umrah companies and institutions. They are 10,012 Saudis including 8,285 males and 1,727 females.