Around one million pilgrims will stream to Saudi Arabia for the first full-capacity Hajj season after COVID

Over the coming weeks, around one million pilgrims will stream to Saudi Arabia from all corners of the globe, for the first full-capacity Hajj season after the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

On Sunday, Dhul Qada 1, or May 22, the first waves of international pilgrims began to arrive in the holy towns of Makkah and Madinah. This marks the beginning of the annual Hajj pilgrimage season. The first groups of pilgrims from India arrived on board the planned aircraft in Madinah on Sunday, joining those who had travelled to the Kingdom on Saturday through the "Makkah Route" initiative from Malaysia and Bangladesh.

During the Hajj seasons of 2020 and 2021, when the yearly pilgrimage was confined to a small number of local pilgrims and that was under severe COVID-19 preventative protocols and limitations, foreign pilgrims were not permitted to do Hajj. During the Hajj of 2022, foreign pilgrims were permitted with several limitations, including age.

Under the 'Makkah Route' programme, the first waves of Hajj pilgrims to arrive at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah came from Bangladesh. The first pilgrims to arrive at Madinah's Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz International Airport were those from Malaysia. The Makkah Route programme had the pilgrims start their spiritual journey at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. On Monday, the 'Makkah Route' initiative's pilgrims from Pakistan also arrived in Madinah.

This year, the Makkah Route plan was expanded by the Saudi Ministry of Interior to include Turkey and the Ivory Coast. With this extension, the project now includes Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkey, and the Ivory Coast in addition to the original three.

The Makkah Route programme, a component of the Kingdom's Vision 2030, was introduced in 2019 with the goal of streamlining pilgrims' international travel arrangements.

An electronic visa is issued, biometric data is collected, passport processing is finished at the airport of departure, and the relevant health conditions are confirmed. With the aid of an innovative aspect of the programme, pilgrims are immediately taken by bus to their lodgings in Makkah and Madinah upon arrival. The pilgrims' journey is made easy and flawless by service organisations as their luggage is brought to the appropriate lodging.

Beginning on Sunday, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah will continue to welcome pilgrims through its sea and air ports in addition to its land entrance points. In accordance with God's command to Prophet Ibrahim (may Allah bless him) and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to invite Muslims from all over the world to perform the pilgrimage, the ministry has launched its unified media identity for this year's Hajj season 1444 under the slogan "Proclaim Hajj to People" via its 15 accounts on social media platforms.

The media identity aims to uphold the Kingdom's principles in leading the Islamic world, improve pilgrims' experiences in a way that fulfils the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, and draw attention to the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's efforts on behalf of pilgrims who travel great distances to perform their holy journey.

The 2018 Hajj media identity provides an overview of the ministry and its responsibilities for administering the season, teaching pilgrims on Hajj customs, and educating them in 14 different worldwide languages on services, processes, and appropriate behaviour throughout the Hajj voyage.

Saudi Arabia was able to give the Guests of God with services and facilities that represented a significant quality improvement. These included accepting pilgrims who wished to perform Hajj without setting an age restriction or imposing any particular requirements for women, as well as providing special services for those who were ill or had special needs. They also included automating the process of applying for visas needed to perform the ritual, the arrival process, and the distribution of identification cards.