The work of the second day of the Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition started with a dialogue session that discussed measuring the performance of the service of pilgrims and analyzing the impact.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Visit Affairs, Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Bijawi stressed that serving the pilgrims is a significant issue. This issue is an honor for the Kingdom, its government, and its people, and we are always keen on early planning for this with scientific methods and the possibilities that give the desired results.
Al-Bijawi added that we have in the ministry a vast technical system through which all the procedures of pilgrims and Umrah performers and their providers pass. We have performance indicators that show the complete readiness to provide an outstanding experience for the pilgrims.
For his part, the Vice President for Quality and Traveler Experience at the General Authority of Civil Aviation, Engineer Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Dahmash, explained that our goal during the last period was to provide the guest of Rahman with the shortest waiting period in the stages of the Hajj trip. We launched in authority a return initiative, which serves the guests of Rahman by completing their travel procedures at the headquarters accommodation to the airport.
On the other hand, the Dean of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Dr. Turki bin Sulaiman Al-Omar, explained that we seek as a system to provide services of very high quality to the pilgrims. We also have relied on technology to reach the pilgrim and provide services to him and measure its impact after that with feedback.
In the same context, the Chief Strategy Officer of the pilgrims’ service program, Eng. Amer Hasen Al-Ghamdi, said, “We have a very high ambition to offer a lot to serve the pilgrims, and we have three goals in the pilgrims service program, on top of which comes the increase of visitors to the Two Holy Mosques, whether at home or abroad.”
He added, “In 2030, we aim to reach 30 million pilgrims from abroad. Before the pandemic, we reached 8 million pilgrims annually, and there is an annual indicator to gradually increase the numbers.”
And Al-Ghamdi added the second goal is to improve the quality of services. Many sectors and authorities participate in it. We seek to reach advanced numbers in satisfaction and quality of services, while the third goal is to enrich the experience, which relates to not only visiting the Holy Places but also enriching that experience with historical sites. In 2030, we aim to prepare 40 historical and Islamic sites, for example the site of the Battle of Uhud and many others.
For his part, Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Tawafa Company for Pilgrims of Arab Countries, Maher Saleh Jamal Al-Adeed, stressed that we are working to educate pilgrims about the nature of the pilgrims’ journey,which contributes to making it smooth and easy for “Doyof Al Rahman”
