Mashable: Saudi Arabia is fastening its belt to give pilgrims a smooth experience during their journey.

Saudi Arabia has been doing everything in its power to make Hajj, one of the most important pilgrimages in Islam, a smooth and peaceful experience. During the Hajj Expo 2023, where service providers from various fields, came under one roof to make everything easy for the pilgrims.

The first thing Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah, announced, was the number of pilgrims that would return to the pre-pandemic stage. Priority registration will also help first-time domestic pilgrims. Due to the ease of regulations, the cost of medical insurance has also been reduced from 109 to 29 riyals for Hajj and 235 to 88 riyals for Umrah.

أعلن معالي وزير الحجّ والعمرة د.توفيق الربيعة، في "#اكسبو_الحج 2023"، عن تخفيض قيمة التأمين الشامل للمعتمرين.#مكة_والمدينة_في_انتظاركم_بشوق pic.twitter.com/evSKiIwFQj

— وزارة الحج والعمرة (@HajMinistry) January 9, 2023
One of the biggest changes is the launch of the smartcard, which helps to ease pilgrims' experiences. With the help of the Nusuk foundation, the card will be useful for storing users’ personal, residential and health information, which all will be linked to the Nusuk app. Before the pandemic, one had to carry everything with them, their passports and their visa, and the chances of it getting lost or misplaced were equally high. But with a digital device, you have everything at your fingertips.

They are also introducing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help “with performing the rituals to leaving the holy sites and the Kingdom.” Last week, the government announced that registration will be open on the ministry's website and the Nusuk application. “We aim to improve the quality of services, and enhance the experience of the pilgrims,” said Husam Adel, a local Umrah service provider.

إكمالاً لنهج مؤسسها في خدمة ضيوف الرحمن
"دله البركة" الراعي الماسي لمؤتمر خدمات الحج والعمرة #Hajj_Expo pic.twitter.com/b9Va2dJTF6

— صحيفة سبق الإلكترونية (@sabqorg) January 9, 2023

“We are here to showcase the latest initiatives launched by the kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah,” said Mohammad Hanif, who was an official at the expo. “You can see the latest technology from new apps, AI is used across the holy sites in Makkah, Madinah, Mina and Arafat as well as the golf carts and ambulances in the exhibition.”
Along with service providers, private companies exhibited their ideas as well. Awatif Mohammed, a marketing officer, said, “We have guests from around the world. We just spoke to groups from Southeast Asia and Africa to tell them more about our online platforms and how we can make their journey easy and holy sites accessible to them through the new apps and companies in the kingdom.”

معالي وزير #الحج_والعمرة في استقبال رؤساء الوفود ورؤساء البعثات المشاركين في #اكسبو_الحج 2023.#مكة_والمدينة_في_انتظاركم_بشوق

His highness the Minister of #Hajj_and_Umrah in the reception of the heads of delegations and heads of missions participating in #Hajj_Expo 2023. pic.twitter.com/h9uD7xObYo

— مؤتمر الحج والعمرة Hajj & Umrah Conference (@hajjumrahsa) January 9, 2023

Another interesting change is the Tawkeel application created by a Saudi-based startup. Its aim is to help pilgrims who “delegate rituals” on behalf of others. It means that people can track the person who is performing the rituals on their behalf.
“We offer Umrah albadal [in exchange] for people who have disabilities or can't travel due to financial reasons or for someone close to them who passed away,” their spokesperson said. “They can ask them to recite certain prayers or track them on the app.”

HAJJ EXPO 2023 draws visitors day by day

The expo facilitate the journey of Hajj and Umrah#hajjexpo2023 #mefriend #ksa #makkah #hajj #hajj2023 pic.twitter.com/Inbtmngkei

— Me Friend (@mefriendapp) January 10, 2023
According to Jumana Alsabban, who works as a customer service representative at the ministry, the government aims to know about the pilgrims' experience to improve their service. “We find the companies that excel to give them an award. It could be special services, those who provide knowledge for Hajj and so on,” she said.

Every year, Hajj has faced severe accidents, including stampedes that have injured thousands of people. Keeping that in mind, the Tuwaiq ambulance presented their vehicle that can take 10 patients during an emergency, and it also had facilities for oxygen and medicines.

جانب من مشاركة شركة الراجحي الاستثمارية بمعرض خدمات الحج و العمرة #Hajj_Expo pic.twitter.com/hU2RGUEo72

— Fardows AlShareef فردوس الشريف (@FaFardaws1990) January 10, 2023
Saleh Al Rasheed, chief executive of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, said, “Part of our focus is on transportation infrastructure and to get roads ready, as we are working on completing ring road projects. More than 25km of the total ring roads have been completed, and we will soon finish linking the First Ring Road with the Masar project and the Makkah Reconstruction and Development project.”

Hajj expo 2023 in picture: @MoHU_En pic.twitter.com/NspFdFvnmt

— Hajj Reporters (@HajjReportersNG) January 10, 2023
The first main session of #Hajj_Expo 2023, titled "a future vision for Hajj digital services," focused on innovation planning. This is done with the goal of innovating digital services for pilgrims.#Makkah_and_Madinah_Eagerly_Await_You pic.twitter.com/PJwqzxc1T6

— مؤتمر الحج والعمرة Hajj & Umrah Conference (@hajjumrahsa) January 10, 2023
Hajj expo 2023 portrays how the Kingdom is ready to adapt and change itself to facilitate the best features for its visitors. The country aims to receive 30 million visitors for Umrah by 2030, and for that, it must “be among the top 20 international models in digital transformation.” As Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, Saudi Arabia, in recent years, has portrayed how one can achieve the best of traditional and modern values, without one getting in the way of another.