Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. Deputy Emir of Makkah inaugurates Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition in its third edition in Jeddah
برعاية خادم الحرمين.. نائب أمير مكة يدشن مؤتمر ومعرض خدمات الحج والعمرة في نسخته الثالثة بجدة
08 Jan 2024 Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of Makkah Region, inaugurated this evening the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition 2024 in its third edition, organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in partnership with the Pilgrims Service Program, which is one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030, and will continue for four days, during the period from January 8 to 11, at Jeddah Super Dome.Upon the arrival of Prince Saud bin Mishaal, the royal anthem was played, and then the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, delivered a speech in which he welcomed the guests at the Revelation Airstrip (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), noting that this version of the conference is attended by honorable guests from 80 countries, and the Hajj agreement was signed for this year 1445 AH with all of them.The Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, announced that 13,550,000 Muslims will host Umrah during 2023, making it the largest year in which Muslims perform Umrah historically, an increase of 5 million, and a rate of more than 58% from the previous highest number.Al-Rabiah stressed attracting all service providers in this qualitative event, enabling them to terminate their contracts with service providers, and providing the opportunity for Hajj offices and missions to contract directly with service providers. He pointed out that the opening of competitiveness resulted in an increase in the number of companies providing services to pilgrims abroad from (6) to (20) competitive companies in the Hajj season in 1444 AH. In this year's Hajj season, a larger number were licensed, bringing the total number to more than (35) Hajj companies.The Minister of Hajj and Umrah added: For the first time in the history of Hajj, countries were handed over the documents of the organizational arrangements for Hajj in 1445 AH immediately after the end of the last Hajj season to motivate countries that terminate their contracts early, and have priority in choosing their sites in the holy sites.He stressed that the countries that do not have Hajj missions for which the Ministry launched the Nesk platform to serve pilgrims directly, as it served in 1444 AH (67) countries, with the expansion of the number of countries, to serve in this year's Hajj season 1445 AH (126) countries, and the pilgrim can choose his package and services with ease and transparency, and obtain a Hajj visa directly, without intermediaries.He explained that the development journey of the infrastructure of the holy sites continues through development projects, exceeding 5 billion riyals, and more than 14,000 toilets and bathing areas have been added. To address the challenges of the weather, 150,000 new air conditioning units have been added in the holy sites.The Deputy Governor of Makkah Region also witnessed the signing of two cooperation agreements between um Al-Qura Company for Development and Reconstruction and the General Authority of Endowments to establish a hotel suites project worth two billion and five hundred million riyals, and a cooperation agreement between the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, the General Authority of Endowments and the Guests of Rahman Program to establish a Pilgrims Awareness Center.The audience also watched a film entitled "As the Day His Mother Gave Birth" and "The Sand: The Road to Asceticism".The Deputy Governor of Makkah Region received a souvenir gift from His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, then the winners of the "Labitem" award, and the success partners and distinguished in the services of the pilgrims were honored in the category of expatriate pilgrims companies, the excellence program for domestic pilgrims companies and institutions, and the category of government agencies.In the second part of the ceremony, the activities of the opening session began in the presence of Their Excellencies "the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, the President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Director of Public Security, and the Mayor of the Holy Capital." The Minister of Hajj and Umrah revealed the ministry's ambition and plans to increase the number of pilgrims annually, and said: We keep the health and safety of pilgrims in mind, and Hajj for those who are able to reach it.Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Al-Khereiji revealed the launch of the KSA Visa application in December 2023, for electronic visas, which will contribute to facilitating pilgrims to obtain their visas electronically without the need to visit the embassy. The issuance of electronic visas contributed to facing security and health challenges, and taking the necessary precautions to deal with fake visas in coordination with the security authorities. We are taking those challenges into account and working to address them.The President of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Eng. Abdulaziz Al-Duailej, pointed out that air transport is one of the main enablers of Hajj and Umrah services, and it serves up to 97% of pilgrims coming from abroad, and said: We start receiving pilgrims from the beginning of the month of Dhu al-Qi'dah, and we continue to serve them until departure. He added that coordination is ongoing with the relevant authorities in all countries.The Director of Public Security, Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Bassami, explained that humanitarian work is part of the Saudi work culture, and said: We took care that there should be a humanitarian part in all services provided to the pilgrim, as the authentic Saudi youth in whose blood is Saudi humanity is the best representation. Referring to the existence of regular plans, he said: We prepare annually a plan to maintain order in partnership with the security and military authorities, to intervene in the event of a situation that requires the maturity of regular plans, and to follow up the quality of their procedures, and evaluate them. He stressed that the human dimension is among the pillars of security plans.The Mayor of the Holy Capital, Musaed Al-Dawood, indicated that the non-profit sector contributes to upgrading Hajj and Umrah services within the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, and said: We are keen on environmental sanitation in Makkah and the holy sites to ensure the health and safety of pilgrims and Umrah performers. Pointing to the spraying of 250,000 tents and toilets during the Hajj season to ensure the health of the environment, he said: We look forward to providing 3.5 million meals during the upcoming Hajj seasons by expanding the subsistence sector, and working on the formation and maintenance of roads around the holy sites to facilitate the process of transporting pilgrims.It is noteworthy that the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition 2024 will continue its work over the coming days by holding a package of sessions and workshops to discuss several topics, such as: future visions for the development of cities and holy sites, preserving the rights of pilgrims, and integration.