RIYADH – The authorities in Saudi Arabia introduced a new visa program to improve the quality of services provided to the pilgrims on Tuesday.
The kingdom’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has named the program, ‘Direct Umrah Program’ that allows companies to serve pilgrims directly while eliminating the need for intermediaries.
The reports by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) confirm that the new program aims at enriching a pilgrim’s experience by also arranging visits to historical sites linked to holy personalities of Islam besides other landmarks and attractions in the kingdom.
The program is also designed to encourage service providers and companies to adopt a model of professional destination management and trip organization; notable, the kingdom welcomed a record 13.5 million pilgrims in 2023.
The ‘Direct Umrah Program’ was announced during a second meeting of Umrah organizations that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah organized in cooperation with the Pilgrim Experience Program (PEP), one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030.
The meeting also examined the key obstacles and solutions aimed at enhancing the pilgrim experience during Umrah. Attendees were introduced to a range of tools and metrics designed to evaluate and improve service quality.
It is to be highlighted that after the conclusion of the Hajj, the kingdom started welcoming Umrah pilgrims in July.
