His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, confirmed that the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the diligent follow-up and direct leadership of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Crown Prince and Prime Minister - may God protect them - necessitated making all preparations. To raise the ceiling on the number of pilgrims to what it was before the Corona pandemic (Covid-19).
His Excellency said in a press conference held today in the capital, Riyadh: “We will, God willing, return in this year’s Hajj season to the normal numbers that were before, with the availability of competition this year between companies providing Hajj services, to motivate them to provide their best services to the guests of the Most Gracious, stressing that the Kingdom has exceeded, praise be to God.” All the challenges it went through during the pandemic and was characterized by organizing exceptional Hajj seasons, in light of the presence of the pandemic and its impact on all countries of the world.
His Excellency Dr. Al-Rabiah thanked the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect them - for the generous directives that require the return of the numbers of pilgrims, praise be to God, to what they were before the Corona pandemic, based on the results of the careful review of health indicators and the recommendations of the health authorities, and the Kingdom’s readiness to perform Hajj in numbers. Larger than during the pandemic.
He pointed out that the Ministry began, in integration with all relevant authorities from the government and private sectors, to prepare for its organizational and executive tasks in Hajj early from the beginning of the year 1444 AH, pointing out that the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Highness the Crown Prince - may God protect them - require that “human health come first.” The Ministry was able to make an early announcement of the Hajj season for the year 1444 AH 2023 AD, several months before the arrival of the season, and allowed pilgrims to apply for Hajj during the entire period without an upper age limit, to provide the opportunity for the largest possible number of Muslims to perform the Hajj through various packages that suit their needs.
His Excellency affirmed the Kingdom’s continued efforts to facilitate the arrival of the Guests of God to perform Hajj rituals within an integrated electronic system, starting from electronic reservation and choosing the desired service packages until obtaining a Hajj visa and arriving easily and safely to the holy sites.
Dr. Al-Rabiah stated that the Ministry launched the “Hajj Hajj” platform in 7 different languages ​​to be a special platform for pilgrims from Europe, the Americas, and Australia, coming from more than 58 countries, to enable them to apply directly for Hajj 1444 AH 2023 AD and choose the desired packages from the packages and services that provide an experience. Integrated services for performing Hajj for pilgrims from those countries, such as: flights, accommodation, transportation, catering services, guide service accompanying pilgrims, multiple payment services, and technical support, in addition to the pilgrim’s smart card that represents the pilgrim’s identity, as the Ministry continues its efforts in developing related technologies. ; To contribute effectively to organizing and facilitating many services.
His Excellency noted the Kingdom’s excellence, praise be to God, when it comes to managing large crowds, as work is carried out within a tight system in which the infrastructure and techniques for measuring human densities are integrated with pre-prepared crowding programs and the plans of the security authorities in managing and organizing crowds, so that these efforts come together and enable all Muslims to perform their rituals with reassurance. He is pleased, drawing attention to the fact that the Kingdom seeks, in the coming years, to make all Hajj procedures electronic, from arrival to safe departure to their countries, God willing. Today, the pilgrim’s smart card, which stores all the pilgrim’s information, has contributed to facilitating the provision of the necessary health and logistical services during the pilgrim’s presence in the Kingdom. .
As part of the Ministry’s keenness to keep pace with the changes in this year’s Hajj, especially with the return of the number of pilgrims to what they were before the pandemic, the number of manpower working during the season was increased, in order to provide the best services and facilities to the pilgrims of the Holy House of God.
Regarding preparations related to transportation and packing, His Excellency confirmed that the Ministry worked before the start of the season on a set of hypothetical experiments for transporting pilgrims, which were successful, praise be to God, and the authorized means of transportation allocated to pilgrims have so far reached 18,277 buses.
Regarding Umrah, His Excellency explained that the Ministry began its preparations to receive pilgrims to the Holy House of God immediately after the end of the Hajj season, announcing the start of Umrah this year directly after the Hajj season and receiving visas for Umrah, calling on those wishing to perform Umrah to visit the “Nisk” platform available at 9 diverse languages ​​to contribute to facilitating the issuance of visas electronically within less than 24 hours, and facilitating the procedures for visiting Mecca and Medina, while allowing the choice of housing, lodging, and transportation services appropriate to the visitor’s desires.
Dr. Al-Rabiah stated that the Kingdom facilitated the arrival of Umrah pilgrims by providing a variety of visas, amounting to 7 different visas, that allow for the performance of Umrah rituals, the most recent of which was the “transit” visa, which allows entry into the Kingdom for 4 days and the performance of Umrah, and the provision of facilities and means of comfort for Umrah pilgrims. It was the most prominent facilities. Introduction: Reducing the value of comprehensive insurance for the Umrah visa from 235 riyals to 88 riyals, a reduction of up to 63%.
With regard to enriching the journey of pilgrims to the Sacred House of God religiously and culturally, His Excellency stated that the work system has developed and activated Islamic historical sites related to the Prophet’s biography, so that they are available and equipped according to the highest standards to receive visitors to the Kingdom from all over the world. Work also began on preparing more than 20 exhibitions and more than 100 Islamic historical sites.
His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah referred to the international visits undertaken by the Ministry in cooperation with its partners in the system from the governmental and private sectors, with the aim of facilitating the procedures for the arrival of pilgrims to Mecca, indicating that these visits contributed to clarifying the procedures related to Hajj and Umrah for each country while producing multiple results and agreements.