[What Programs and activities that hotels can implement to increase the duration of pilgrims stay in and the general income?]

By

TABLE OF CONTENT

Acknowledgementii

Declarationiii

Introduction5

Overview of Current Research5

Methodology7

Implementation8

References9

Introduction

This paper will deal with enhancing Hajj tourism and will focus on selected critical issues that are discussed within the context of the hajj in sections devoted to demand, the religious-secular nexus, organization and management, and sustainable development. The hajj to sites in or near the Saudi Arabian holy cities of Mecca and Medina is central to Islam and a pilgrimage that all Muslims are required to make at least once in a lifetime unless excused from doing so by extenuating circumstances (Woodward, 2004).

Practices related to revenue management are increasingly being utilized by hotels these days. A good example of this scenario is overbooking during the Hajj season. The practice of overbooking is generally used in cases where hotel management is interested in minimizing losses due to no-shows and late cancellations.

Religious obligation, combined with the sizeable and growing Muslim population worldwide, results in mass movements of travelers to and within Saudi Arabia during the hajj season that authorities there must seek to manage. One official response to the formidable task of hosting the hajj has been to expand the capacity of key structures and spaces and, in co-operation with the commercial sector, extend and modernize transport and accommodation facilities.

This process has accelerated in recent years and there are ambitious plans for the forthcoming decade, suggesting the timeliness of an examination of the attributes and consequences of the contemporary hajj. Its highly distinctive characteristics are revealed, but an analysis also offers wider insights into the interconnectedness of religion and tourism and the challenges of managing major religious events.

Overview of Current Research

Saudi Arabia is a Middle Eastern nation bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. It is north of Yemen and Oman and south of Iraq. Hajj is the fifth Pillar of Islam and means 'to set out for a definite purpose' (pilgrimage). The place Muslims pilgrimage to is the holy city of Mecca. Hajj is a sunnah (religious duty) that Muslims owe to God. It is the only one of the Five Pillars that is not compulsory for Muslims.

There has been discussion about exact definitions of pilgrimage, and the term is no longer confined to specific and traditional belief systems. It can have new age associations when more personalized forms of spirituality are ...