Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah stressed that the Kingdom is keen on providing the best services and procedures to the Hajj pilgrims.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said that no effort has been spared in serving them.
The Hajj and Umrah Ministry had sought during its preparations for this year’s Hajj to coordinate with Hajj affairs offices from across the globe. It held 78 preparatory meetings that helped in elevating readiness and coordination with concerned authorities.
All this aims to allow the pilgrims to perform the rituals smoothly and at ease, stressed the minister.
Moreover, Al-Rabiah highlighted the Masar Nusuk app that played a role in documenting and organizing service providers, ensuring a fair and transparent operational environment.
The ministry is keen on providing high quality services at appropriate prices and achieving operational sustainability in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, he added.
The ministry has so far received over 1.5 million pilgrims from across the globe, he revealed.
Al-Rabiah also underlined the cooperation between his ministry and Interior Ministry in implementing the “No Hajj without a Permit” campaign.
The campaign aims to preserve the security and safety of legal pilgrims and prevent any violations or victims of Hajj scams, he said.
The Nusuk app has played a role in documenting the personal and health information of pilgrims, as well as their residency status, he explained.
The app acts as an ID for the pilgrims as they move from one holy site to another during the Hajj, he went on to say. This has helped limit violations.
Al-Rabiah noted that his ministry sought to tackle challenges early on, such as the preparedness of infrastructure and modernizing services for the pilgrims.
Over 62,000 inspection tours have been held and some 6,300 reservations have been made and dealt with immediately, reflecting a keenness on ensuring quality of services, Al-Rabiah said.
Al-Rabiah also revealed that efforts have been made to boost environment sustainability at the Hajj. Over 170,000 square meters of area have been provided with shade from the sun and 20,000 plants have been planted to provide vegetation cover and reduce temperatures.
Efforts have also been exerted to limit the use of plastic and increase reliance on clean sources of energy, he added.
Hajj services are also benefitting from advanced technologies and artificial intelligence, said Al-Rabiah.
They are being used in crowd management, analyzing data and other areas. The Nusuk app has been developed to become a “digital companion” to the pilgrims, boasting over 100 services, Al-Rabiah said.
The Hajj and Umrah Ministry is constantly following up on new technologies to benefit from them in servicing the pilgrims, he stressed.
On approval ratings for the Hajj, the minister revealed that the rate increased from 74 to 97 percent in the past three years, including this Hajj season.
On whether other countries have reached out to Saudi Arabia to benefit from its experience in organizing such a massive event as the Hajj, Al-Rabiah confirmed that his ministry held the Hajj and Umrah Conference and Exhibition to that end.
Delegations from 100 countries took part and over 670 agreements were signed for countries to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s expertise, Al-Rabiah stated.
