Curtailed hajj compounds Saudi economic woes - Arabianbusiness:
Vacant religious sites. Abandoned pilgrim tents. Lifeless hotels. A stunning emptiness - and fears of economic ruin - haunt the usually bustling city of Makkah after Saudi authorities curtailed the hajj pilgrimage over coronavirus.
Islam's holiest city usually hosts millions of pilgrims for the annual rite, but the kingdom has barred overseas visitors from this year's event, scheduled for late July.
The hajj and the lesser umrah pilgrimage together rake in some $12 billion, keeping the economy humming in Makkah, home to two million people and marble-bedecked skyscrapers towering over Islam's most sacred sites.
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