Dhaka, March 23 -- Ramadan is a peak time for the Umrah pilgrimage, and travel agencies and tour operators are capitalizing on the festive demand.

Flights from Riyadh to Jeddah are experiencing higher demand and rising prices.

"There were discounted tickets for Saudi Founding Day, but with the start of Ramadan, ticket prices have gone up," said Mohammad Aslam Jameel, a travel company supervisor in Riyadh.

"If you are traveling now to Jeddah, the round-trip tickets will cost about SR1,700 ($453) to SR2,000."

There are comparatively cheaper tickets for odd timings, but they, too, will total about SR1,500 now to SR 2,000 during Qiyam - the last 10 days of Ramadan - he added.

Umrah travel operators in Riyadh have almost doubled the price...