Pilgrim Experience Program Showcases Cooperation Among 70 Public and Private Entities at the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition
The Pilgrim Experience Program, one of Saudi Vision 2030's implementation programs, demonstrated its integration and cooperation with 70 public, private, and nonprofit entities through its participation in the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition. Organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah under the theme Transformation Toward Innovation, the three-day event took place at the Jeddah Superdome under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Governor of Makkah Region.
The program's CEO, Engineer Abdulrahman Addas, explained that the pilgrim services ecosystem operates through integration and partnership among entities, with technology a necessity rather than an option, and digitalization a means rather than an end in making the pilgrim's experience easier. The Kingdom's leadership has directed that pilgrims' travel between their preferred destinations within Saudi Arabia be facilitated so they can discover its heritage and civilization and enrich their religious and cultural experience.
He noted that the program took exhibition visitors through a study covering 192 pilgrim touchpoints, identified through field studies of every stage experienced by Hajj and Umrah pilgrims. It also surveyed more than 20,000 Muslims in over 20 countries and 135 cities to understand their aspirations and potential challenges when visiting the Kingdom and performing their rituals. Visitors then explored every stage of the pilgrim journey, from first considering a visit for Umrah until returning home: changing, simplifying, and digitalizing visa procedures; developing airports; diversifying transport options; performing rituals comfortably and peacefully; and enriching the religious and cultural journey through visits to Islamic historical sites.
He affirmed that the Pilgrim Experience Program seeks to deliver a new qualitative leap in pilgrim services and provide what pilgrims need to perform their rituals with ease. It pursues three strategic objectives: facilitating the reception of more Umrah pilgrims and access to the Two Holy Mosques; providing high-quality services to Hajj and Umrah pilgrims; and enriching their religious and cultural experience, while providing the enablers necessary for the sector's sustainability.
