DHAKA: The Bangladeshi government has reduced by nearly $1,000 the cost of Hajj packages for 2024, after skyrocketing prices during the 2023 pilgrimage season prevented many from undertaking the spiritual journey. One of the most populous Muslim-majority countries, Bangladesh last year struggled to fulfill the Hajj quota granted by Saudi Arabia amid rising travel costs. Eventually, several thousand prospective pilgrims could not go. The decision to lower the cost next year was announced by State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan on Thursday. The minimum cost of Hajj from Bangladesh will be $5,260 — a significant decrease compared with the minimum cost of $6,210 in 2023. The new policy is expected to bring great relief to pilgrims, Shahadat Hossain, president of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh, told Arab News. “With this newly announced by government reduced Hajj package, pilgrims will be encouraged to perform the holy Hajj and I believe we will be able to fulfil our Hajj quota this year,” he said. “It will help our pilgrims a lot in their Hajj journey. Reducing the Hajj package price was a major issue for us since last year.” Around 127,000 pilgrims from Bangladesh will perform the Hajj next year, facilitated by pre-immigration services under the Makkah Route initiative — a flagship program launched by Saudi Arabia in 2019. Makkah Route allows pilgrims to save time by completing all visa, customs and health requirements at their airports of origin. Upon arrival, pilgrims can enter Saudi Arabia without waiting. Bangladesh is among seven Muslim-majority countries — alongside Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Turkiye and Cote d’Ivoire — where the Kingdom opened the program. Registration for next year’s Hajj will begin in Bangladesh next week. Abdul Hannan, a 61-year-old farmer from southern Barisal district, has been saving money for the journey for many years. “Performing the holy Hajj has been my long-cherished dream since childhood,” he told Arab News. “Despite the high costs, I was getting ready for the pilgrimage next year. Now, the government has reduced the cost by around $1,000, so it’s a great relief to me.” It will make things easier for many others, including Mansurul Haider, 58, a small trader from Cumilla in eastern Bangladesh. “Most of Muslims in Bangladesh are not very rich but all of them nurture the dream of performing the holy Hajj at least once in their lifetime,” he said. “The new Hajj package announced by the government will be a great relief to me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have any other choice but to sell a piece of my ancestral land.”