Saudi Gazette report

JEDDAH — Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah revealed that more than 18.5 million foreign pilgrims performed Hajj and Umrah during the year 2024. "This was achieved under the guidance of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and the direct support and supervision of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. We will continue to ensure that the guest of God is our top priority," he said in his speech at the fourth Hajj Conference and Exhibition at the Jeddah Superdome.

Under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Deputy Emir of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishal inaugurated the Hajj Conference and Exhibition 2025 on Monday evening.

Prince Saud bin Mishal toured the exhibition held alongside the conference.

Al-Rabiah said that the number of visitors to the Rawdah Sharif at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah has exceeded 13 million in 2024. "We worked on developing the experience of visiting the Rawdah Sharif and hence we qualified human cadres, facilitated electronic reservation procedures, and created a professional grouping system that ensures the quality of service, and this resulted in an increase in the number of visitors to the Rawdah from four million in 2022 to more than 13 million visitors in 2024," he said.

The minister indicated that work has been done to enhance competitiveness among Hajj companies, as their number has increased to 45 companies, which has contributed to increasing the level of pilgrims' satisfaction with their services.

He underscored the Kingdom's keenness to continue providing all means of comfort to the guests of God. "In this regard, more than 33 visits have been made to various parts of the world, in order to identify the needs of pilgrims, which has contributed to the development of services provided to the guests of God," he pointed out.

"Muslims from everywhere dream of performing Hajj and Umrah in obedience to God. The Hajj journey was full of difficulties, troubles, and hardship in the past, but today, thanks to God, we are witnessing the transformation from hardship and fatigue to ease, comfort, and the availability of all services," he added.

On the sidelines of the conference, Al-Rabiah launched the updated version of the Nusuk application. "From today onwards, the updated version of Nusuk features an integrated experience with 100 additional services," he said.

Spanning an area of 50,000 square meters, the exhibition focuses on Hajj services, showcasing the latest technologies and innovations aimed at enriching the Hajj experience and enhancing services provided to pilgrims.

The four-day event features the participation of 280 exhibitors from various sectors, over 100 speakers, both local and international service providers, and stakeholders in Hajj affairs from more than 100 countries. The event includes 50 panel discussions focusing on shaping the future of sectors related to pilgrims, with an expected turnout of 150,000 visitors.

Organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program —one of the Saudi Vision 2030 initiatives — the fourth annual edition of the event, under the theme “A Passage to Nusuk" is being held at the Jeddah Superdome from January 13 to 16.