Introduction:

Saudi Arabia takes great pride in serving the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors, welcoming millions of pilgrims and Umrah performers throughout the year, both residents and visitors worldwide. The Kingdom continuously strives to facilitate the pilgrimage journey for the guests of Allah, ensuring the highest levels of comfort both within and beyond its borders. It is dedicated to enriching their unique spiritual experience, making it an unforgettable memory for a lifetime.

In 2019, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, launched the Pilgrim Experience Program as a key initiative within Saudi Vision 2030. The program aims to simplify the pilgrimage and Umrah journey, support visitors from the moment they embark on their spiritual journey through their arrival in the Kingdom, provide dedicated transportation services, and enhance their experience through visits to well-prepared Islamic landmarks.

Since its inception, all sectors within the Kingdom—governmental, private, and cooperative—have worked together to achieve the program’s goals, which align with Vision 2030. These objectives include increasing the annual Umrah capacity to 15 million pilgrims, developing 15 historical and cultural Islamic sites, and enhancing overall pilgrim satisfaction with their journey.

Key Initiatives of the Pilgrim Experience Program:

The program's guiding principle, "From Thought to Memory," ensures seamless facilitation for Umrah performers on their spiritual journey. The program streamlines every step, from handling paperwork, visas, and flights to reception at Saudi airports, transportation, accommodation, performing rituals, and visiting significant Islamic historical sites. Ultimately, the experience concludes as a cherished, unforgettable memory.

The program’s core mission is to enable the largest possible number of Muslims to perform Hajj and Umrah with ease and fulfillment while enriching their experience by enhancing the Two Holy Mosques, historical landmarks, and tourism services, providing top-tier facilities before, during, and after their visit.

To achieve this, the program meticulously analyzed every stage of the pilgrim’s journey and restructured its framework to maximize its experience. This is accomplished through three fundamental phases: First Impressions, Performing the Rituals, and Enriching the Experience.

Now, let’s explore each phase and the initiatives that bring them to life.

Phase 1: First Impression - A Warm Welcome

The First Impression phase marks the initial stage of the program, focusing on the seamless entry and warm reception of pilgrims. This phase ensures that the early steps of the journey—such as visa issuance and arrival procedures—are smooth and welcoming, setting a positive tone for the entire experience. It consists of four key initiatives:

• Electronic Visa Issuance for Guests of Allah This initiative streamlines the visa application process, reducing the processing time from 14 days to just 5 minutes. It also introduces transit visas, allowing travelers to stopover in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah and visit the Prophet’s Mosque with ease.

• Makkah Route Initiative Designed to expedite airport procedures, this initiative reduces arrival processing time to just 15 minutes. Pilgrims complete immigration procedures in their home countries, enabling them to arrive in Saudi Arabia as if they were domestic travelers. So far, it has been implemented in five countries, serving over 225,000 pilgrims, with plans to expand worldwide by 2030.

• Hajj Without Luggage Initiative This initiative saves pilgrims valuable time by transporting their luggage directly to their accommodations, eliminating the need for long waits at arrival terminals. It has already benefited over 500,000 pilgrims to date.

• Public Transport Project in Makkah To enhance mobility for pilgrims, this project expands public transport capacity with modern, comfortable travel options. Currently, it operates 12 routes, 14 buses, and 425 stops, ensuring a smooth and efficient transportation experience in the holy city.

Phase 2: Performing the Rituals - Ease & Reassurance

Following the seamless arrival, luggage handling, and comfortable transport, the second phase focuses on enhancing the pilgrimage experience itself. This stage ensures a peaceful, well-organized, and spiritually uplifting environment, prioritizing service quality, safety, and well-being. It includes nine key initiatives:

• Hospitality Centers for Children at the Two Holy Mosques
  This initiative provides dedicated care facilities for children accompanying pilgrims, offering a safe and enriching space with interactive activities while their families perform religious rituals.

• Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Translation Project A smartphone-based translation service that delivers sermons, religious lessons, and guidance in ten different languages, ensuring accessibility for all worshippers.

• Comprehensive Service Centers at the Prophet’s Mosque Strategically located centers provide a full range of services to pilgrims, making assistance easily accessible throughout their visit.

• Shading the Roof of the Prophet’s Mosque Led by the Madinah Development Authority, this project improves climate conditions by providing shade in key areas, ensuring a more comfortable worship experience.

• Smart Robot Assistants at the Grand Mosque Deploying AI-powered robots to assist pilgrims with inquiries, guidance, sanitation, and disinfection, enhancing both convenience and hygiene.

• Pedestrian-Friendly Central Zone This initiative optimizes pedestrian pathways, particularly for individuals with disabilities, while beautifying the central area to create a more welcoming and accessible environment.

• Comprehensive Health Insurance for Pilgrims A full coverage health insurance plan designed to relieve pilgrims of financial burdens in case of unexpected medical emergencies during their stay in the Kingdom.

• Crowd Management Enhancement A strategic initiative to improve movement flow, minimize congestion risks, and ensure safety, adopting global best practices for large-scale pilgrim gatherings.

• Surveillance & Control System Development This initiative bolsters security and safety by integrating real-time monitoring systems to swiftly issue directives, ensuring a smooth and secure pilgrimage experience.

Phase 3: Enriching the Experience – Comfort & Culture

The final phase of the program focuses on cultural and historical enrichment, ensuring that the pilgrimage experience extends beyond rituals to include a deep connection with Islamic history. With over 100 historical sites developed and numerous interactive exhibitions established in Makkah and Madinah, this phase enhances the spiritual journey through five key initiatives:

• Development of the Battle of the Trench Site & Surrounding Areas
  This initiative upgrades and preserves the historic site of the Battle of the Trench, equipping it with world-class facilities to enhance the visitor experience.

• Development of the Hijrah Route This project aims to restore and develop key landmarks along the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ migration route, allowing pilgrims to trace his historic journey to Madinah.

• Development of the Battle of Uhud Site This initiative enhances the site of the Battle of Uhud, ensuring it meets global preservation and visitor engagement standards, honoring one of the most significant events in Islamic history.

• Restoration of Holy Sites in the Sacred Ritual Areas This project ensures that the historical sites within the sacred pilgrimage zones are well-maintained, equipped with top-tier facilities, and accessible to all visitors.

• Interactive Content for Islamic & Cultural Landmarks To bring history to life, this initiative develops engaging, scholarly content in multiple formats—visual, audio, and written—for an immersive experience at historical and cultural sites.

As we can see, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is dedicated to providing an unforgettable spiritual experience for all pilgrims and Umrah performers. Government agencies, the private sector, and nonprofit organizations work hand in hand to deliver the highest-quality services, ensuring a deeply enriching journey.

Technology and automation play pivotal roles in the Pilgrim Experience Program. Smartphone platforms like Nusuk, available in nine languages, offer comprehensive information, awareness programs, and visa guidelines. Advanced surveillance systems enhance security. AI-powered robots assist within the Grand Mosque, providing guidance, sanitization, and cleanliness services.

Beyond technology, healthy competition has significantly improved the pilgrim experience. In the past, pilgrimage services were managed exclusively by government entities, but today, competition among government, private, and nonprofit sectors has led to a new era of excellence—offering millions of Muslims the best possible services on their sacred journey.