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About the program

About

Allah the Almighty has indeed honored this country and its people by enabling them to serve the guests of Allah for decades, as visiting the Holy places and performing Hajj and Umrah is the wish of every Muslim. The wise leadership - may Allah support it - has shown great interest in serving the guests of Allah, Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors, in the best manner possible.

To enhance the role of Saudi Arabia, both its leadership and people, in serving the pilgrims, and to provide the opportunity for the largest number of them to perform Umrah and experience this unique spiritual experience, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, launched the Pilgrim Experience Program for serving the pilgrims, as one of the initiatives to achieve Saudi Vision 2030 on Wednesday, 24th of Ramadan, 1440 AH.

The program’s role is to provide the opportunity for as many Muslims as possible to perform Hajj and Umrah in the best possible manner. It also seeks to provide the pilgrims with a rich and ever-lasting experience by making necessary arrangements in the Haramain (the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Al-Madinah), to actualize Islam’s universal message, to prepare the tourist and cultural destinations, and to deliver high quality services before, during and after their visit to Makkah, Al-Madinah and holy places. Additionally, the program reflects the honorable and civilized image of Saudi Arabia in serving the Two Holy Mosques and the guests of Allah.

Implementation plan
committee pattren

Message from the chair of Program Committee and CEO

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His Excellency Chair of the Pilgrim Experience Program, Minister of Hajj and Umrah,
Dr. Tawfig bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah

Service... Warmth... Satisfaction


The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are keen to provide the best services to the guests of Allah. Therefore, the Pilgrims Experience Program was established as a part of Saudi Vision 2030. The program aims to facilitate access to the Two Holy Mosques and enrich the experience for all Muslims from all over the world.

Therefore, our role in the program is to monitor the pilgrim’s and visitor’s journey to Masjid Al-Haram and the Prophet’s Mosque from the moment the idea of traveling begins until their return with the aim of developing and improving it. The program aims to facilitate visa issuance procedures, increase flights, and develop services at airports and entry ports. Additionally, it aims to improve transportation processes to access the Two Holy Mosques and develop services within them. The program also cooperates with all government sectors to develop historical areas and various exhibitions, ensuring the visit is rich and unforgettable, giving the visitor a comprehensive idea about Islamic history and the biography of the Messenger (PBUH). The program’s role includes conducting studies, setting targets, and following up on their implementation with all government sectors.

This has resulted in an increase in the number of pilgrims and an improvement in their experience. The program will continue to develop to achieve the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.

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The CEO
Mohamed Abu Al-Khair Ismail

A Prestigious Honor

Saudi Vision 2030 elevates the services provided to pilgrims to a higher standard. This is achieved through strategic direction, characterized by collective efforts of a unified team with a deep sense of responsibility towards serving both religion and nation. This team consists of individuals from government sectors as well as partners from the private and non-profit sectors. We collaborate ambitiously with our partners within the program, mindful of the significant responsibility we undertake, and with a profound respect for the task, knowing that we are accountable to the Almighty. We are dedicated to upholding the values cherished by the wise leadership, whose commitment to pilgrims is invaluable.

It is a great honor for the program and its team to have it officially launched by His Majesty the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz - may Allah protect and preserve him - at Masjid Al-Haram on a night during the blessed month of Ramadan, in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince, Prime Minister - may Allah protect him. This honor inspires us to greater dedication and a sense of responsibility to deliver work worthy of the exceptional service long provided to the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors during the prosperous era in Saudi Arabia. It reaffirms the authentic and historical role of Saudi Arabia’s leadership and its people in serving Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.

The diligent attention and daily follow-up by His Excellency the Chairman of the Program Committee, Dr. Tawfig bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, enabled us to double our efforts and leverage all our human and material capabilities. Furthermore, it empowered us to adopt government entrepreneurship , invest in modern technologies, and expand our partnerships to work within a collaborative approach. This approach aims, intially and ultimately, to elevate the service provided to pilgrims to new levels that align with the aspirations of the wise leadership. It also aims to accelerate progress towards a transformative experience in the system, achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

In conclusion, with every achievement evident at the stations of the pilgrims, we witness growing responsibility grows and increasing honor. Simultaneously, the dedication of the program's team and partners across all sectors increases, to deliver more, determined to working together to enrich every detail of the pilgrims' experience .” From an idea... to a memory.”

Saudi Vision 2030 was launched with its strategic pillars and goals in April 2016, and the detailed objectives of the vision were assigned to programs aimed at actualizing the vision.

3 Vision Pillars
community A Vibrant Community
economic A Prosperous Economy
country An Ambitious Nation
6 Primary Vision Objectives From the First Level

Promoting Islamic Values and the National Identity

Empowering a Prosperous and Healthy Life

Developing and diversifying the economy

Enhancing government effectiveness

Empowering social responsibility

27 Secondary Vision Objectives From the Second Level

Promoting Islamic values

Serving more guests of Allah to the fullest extent

Strengthening national identity

96 Detailed Vision Objectives From the Third Level

Facilitating hosting more pilgrims and facilitating access to the Two Holy Mosques

Providing high-quality services for pilgrims and Umrah performers.

Enriching the religious and cultural experience for pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims

Program goals

Facilitating hosting more pilgrims and easing access to the Two Holy Mosques

The program aims to enable more Muslims to come to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, facilitate the procedures for their arrival, and offer various options for different categories of pilgrims and visitors. This initiative enhances and reaffirms Saudi Arabia's long-standing tradition of welcoming and serving pilgrims of Masjid Al-Haram from all parts of the globe. The primary strategic goal is to increase the number of people coming from abroad to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque. This includes simplifying visa procedures and expanding the necessary capacity to accommodate 30 million pilgrims by 2030 and 15 million by 2025, representing a 77% increase compared to the 8.5 million Umrah pilgrims in 2019. While achieving this goal, we prioritize ensuring the security and safety of the guests of Allah alongside the targeted increase in their numbers.

  • Easy and convenient procedures for performing Umrah
  • Effective and innovative solutions to accommodate larger numbers
  • Increasing the capacity to host 15 million Umrah pilgrims
  • Increasing the capacity to host 30 million Umrah pilgrim
  • The number of visitors from abroad who performed Umrah
  • Incentive decisions to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector
  • Study of the types of visas granted and the development of various solutions regarding requirements and options for arrival
  • Simplification of procedures for coming to perform Umrah
  • Understanding the patterns and behaviors of Umrah pilgrims

Providing high-quality services to Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims

The program aims to enable more Muslims to come to Saudi Arabia and enhance its commitment to serving Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, both from inside and outside Saudi Arabia. It strives to offer a comprehensive and seamless experience that satisfies the diverse needs and categories of pilgrims. The strategic objective focuses on improving the performance of entities to meet the expectations and desires of the pilgrims, and enhancing the quality of services provided from the pilgrim's home country until they leave Saudi Arabia, encompassing the entire journey within Saudi Arabia —from an idea to a memory. This involves working on improving the standards and levels of services provided, monitoring their improvement, and enhancing procedures to ensure their smoothness and ease, such as reducing waiting times and increasing the efficiency of crowd management.

  • Services of the highest standards that meet the needs of all categories of pilgrims.
  • Smooth and seamless journey, with optimal utilization of the latest technologies
  • Elevate services to global standards
  • Achieve an 85% satisfaction rate among pilgrims regarding the services provided during their journey
  • Transformative experience equipped with the latest innovations
  • Provide services that create a unique experience exceeding the aspirations of pilgrims
  • Achieve a 90% satisfaction rate among pilgrims regarding the services provided during their journey
  • Umrah Pilgrims Experience Index
  • Hajj Pilgrims Experience Index
  • Improving general services throughout the pilgrims' journey
  • Enhancing the smoothness of procedures throughout the pilgrims’ journey

Enriching the religious and cultural experience for pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims

The program aims to create a rich spiritual experience for pilgrims of all categories, emphasizing the rich Islamic history of Saudi Arabia - the place of revelation - which Muslims from all over the world aspire to visit and learn about. This goal is a key focus of the program. The strategic goal is focused on providing access to historical and cultural sites in the regions of Makkah and Al-Madinah. The program aims to rehabilitate, develop, and improve historical and cultural sites, such as battles sites of the Prophet (PBUH), mosques, and historical monuments. Additionally, it seeks to introduce pilgrims to the local heritage of Makkah and Al-Madinah and encourage them to extend their journey and discover more of Saudi Arabia.

  • A rich spiritual journey throughout all its stages
  • Making Saudi Arabia a gateway to new cultural experiences
  • Rehabilitated Islamic historical sites that are attractive to visitors
  • 15 qualified historical and cultural sites
  • 40 qualified historical and cultural sites
  • Number of eligible historical and cultural sites
  • Developing initial governance for priority historical sites within the Islamic Historic Sites Committee
  • Initiating the development of historical and cultural sites and involving the private sector

The Pilgrim Experience Program Committee

The most prominent entities involved in serving pilgrims and visitors.

Enabling Entities