A ministerial session at the Sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition in Jeddah on Monday underscored the scale of Saudi Arabia's preparations for the upcoming Hajj season from providing over one million beds for pilgrims to preemptively monitoring hundreds of potential risks.
The briefing comes as relevant authorities move to elevate service quality and expand capacity across airports and lodging facilities, coordinated under an operational framework involving more than 60 government entities.
During the session, "Serving the Guests of God: An Integrated National System," Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah stressed that the Pilgrim Experience Program, launched in 2019 under Saudi Vision 2030, has brought about a transformation in managing the journey of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, starting from facilitating access to the Two Holy Mosques, through the quality of services, and leading to enriching the religious and cultural experience.
Al-Rabiah revealed that the number of Umrah pilgrims arriving from abroad rose from 8.4 million in 2022 to 18 million in 2025, while the number of visitors to the al-Rawdah Sharifa increased from 6 million to some 16 million during the same period.
He said the Hajj Project Management Office coordinates some 600 operational plans annually among participating entities, noting that pilgrim satisfaction rose from 74 to 93 percent over five years, surpassing the targeted 90 percent.
On housing, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb announced the completion of licensing for buildings designated to receive pilgrims for the upcoming season, providing more than 1.3 million beds across around 400,000 rooms distributed among 4,000 buildings in Makkah and Madinah.
He noted that the sheer volume of available accommodation in the two holy cities places them within the top 10 percent of countries globally for room capacity, underscoring the massive infrastructure dedicated to hosting Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.
Al-Khateeb revealed that some 560,000 beds were provided in temporary pilgrim accommodations, and 30,000 inspection tours were conducted last season, as well as the training of more than 45,000 employees to elevate service quality.
The ministry is working to reduce the number of beds per room and encourage the conversion of temporary pilgrim lodging into permanent facilities, while providing accommodation options that suit various budgets, he added.
In the aviation sector, President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation Abdulaziz Al‑Dailej announced that King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah welcomed 52 million passengers in 2025, while Terminal 4 was operated with a capacity exceeding 15 million passengers, and the Hajj Terminal was upgraded to handle up to 16 million.
The expansion of Prince Mohammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah will raise its capacity from 8 million to 18 million passengers, with the project expected to be completed in October 2027, he went on to say.
Al-Dailej added that the "Luggage-Free Traveler" initiative has served around 4.5 million pilgrims and handled 6.7 million bags over the past four years, supported by 130 air carriers linking the Kingdom to over 200 destinations.
Director of Public Security Lieutenant General Mohammad Al-Bassami stressed that Hajj security operations have shifted from basic coordination to full integration, with authorities identifying over 900 potential risks and establishing proactive response scenarios.
In the health sector, the Health Holding Company revealed that it provided more than 2.5 million services during the last season.
Dr. Hatim Al-Omari, CEO of the Makkah Health Cluster, explained that the cluster served more than 746,000 people, conducted 128,000 field inspections, performed over 415 surgeries and 382 kidney dialysis sessions, and administered 371,000 vaccination doses.
In a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Omari said 5,309 pilgrims benefited from specialized treatment pathways, including 4,574 injury cases, 416 stroke cases, and 319 cardiac arrest cases.
