The government has formulated a comprehensive strategic policy aimed at reducing the cost of performing the Hajj pilgrimage by 50 percent over the next five years, Minister of Islamic Affairs Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed announced on Wednesday.
Speaking on national television, Dr. Shaheem stated that structural reforms being implemented through the state-run Maldives Hajj Corporation will introduce dedicated internal investment yields and restructured logistical operations to drastically reduce the financial burden of pilgrimage on Maldivian families.
Reforming pilgrimage pricing and queue rules
The cost of performing Hajj under the Maldives Hajj Corporation currently stands at approximately MVR 69,965 (USD 4,537) per pilgrim. The ministry plans to subsidize packages using profits generated from real estate assets and commercial endowments invested by the Hajj Corporation:
"Our objective is to halve the overall pilgrimage fare within five years. We have identified sustainable internal revenue streams within the Hajj Corporation and expect the initial phase of price reductions to take effect within two years," Minister Shaheem explained.
In addition to financial reforms, the minister revealed that the required waiting period for individuals seeking to perform a second Hajj will be formally extended from five years to ten years.
The policy change is designed to prioritize first-time pilgrims and reduce the national waitlist, which currently exceeds 14,000 registered citizens across the archipelago.
Elderly priority and quota management
The cost-reduction roadmap builds on administrative directives enacted this week that guarantee direct pilgrimage slots for registered citizens aged 70 and older who have waited in queue for three years or longer, alongside provisions allowing worshippers aged 65 and above to register an accompanying family caregiver.
Dr. Shaheem noted that the Hajj Corporation is modeling its revised queuing and accommodation frameworks on successful Islamic pilgrimage systems in Southeast Asia, including long-term hotel leases in Makkah and Madinah to protect pilgrims from peak-season commercial price inflation.
