BANGKOK, Thailand -- Muslims in prosperous Singapore are spending more
money when they travel on a religious haj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi
Arabia, compared with previous years when they scrimped and saved, and
they are also now going when they are younger.
"Decades back, the pilgrims went in their 50s and 60s. Now, we even
have people in their 20s willing to perform the haj," said geopolitics
professor Cedomir Nestorovic at the Singapore campus of the ESSEC
Business School Paris-Singapore.
"This was unimaginable 50 years ago. They have the money, and when
they go, they want the best," Nestorovic told Singapore's Straits
Times newspaper.
"The first thing we have to stress, the haj is a spiritual journey. So
for those lucky enough to go, this is the journey of their lives,"
said the French professor, who also teaches marketing in Islamic
communities.
The average Singaporean pilgrim pays US $10,400 for a 30-day package
tour to Mecca, Nestorovic said.
Many Singaporeans pay extra because they can afford upmarket hotels
and luxury package tours.
Singapore's deals are less expensive compared with its northern