SRINAGAR, JUNE 13: Travel operators in the Kashmir Valley have started accepting bookings for the Umrah pilgrimage following the conclusion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
While the number of early bookings remains low, operators are optimistic that demand will rise once the current spell of hot weather subsides.
“Umrah bookings have started, and we expect the first groups from Kashmir to undertake the pilgrimage by mid-July. The packages are affordable and fairly priced” Jammu and Kashmir Association of Hajj Umrah Companies (JKAHUC) General Secretary, Mohammad Younis, told The Kashmir Monitor. “So far, we have received only a few enquiries, but this is usual right after Hajj. We are hopeful the numbers will pick up once the weather becomes pleasant again.”
He further said that visa issuance and flight arrangements for Umrah are now open.
Among those planning to go is Shabir Hussain, a resident of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. “I’ve been waiting for the Hajj season to end so I could plan my Umrah in peace,” he said. “The weather has been too hot recently, but I’m looking forward to travelling once it cools down a bit,” he added.
Although Umrah pilgrimages have grown in recent years, the number of Hajj applicants from Jammu and Kashmir has sharply declined — dropping from around 35,000 in 2017 to just over 4,100 in 2025. The downward trend continued despite repeated extensions of the application deadline, with more than 700 applicants withdrawing their names this season.
For Hajj 2025, a total of 4,100 people from Jammu and Kashmir submitted applications. Of these, 3,601 were confirmed in the first selection list, while an additional 21 pilgrims were accommodated under the Mahram quota, taking the total number of selected pilgrims to 3,622.