The ministry of interior has made remarkable progress in the “Makkah Route” initiative, one of the ministry’s initiatives within the Pilgrim Experience Program, one of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 programs.
The initiative aims to simplify travel processes for pilgrims before they leave their home countries. It helps issue electronic visas, collect biometric data, manage all travel-related processes at departure airports, ensure that pilgrims are medically fit to travel and arrange baggage transportation and accommodation in Saudi Arabia. Once the pilgrims arrive in the kingdom, they are transported directly to their lodgings by bus.
Now in its fifth year, the initiative has successfully established and activated seven temporary centers for the countries that are part of Makkah Route, including Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Morocco, Bangladesh, Turkiye, and Côte d’Ivoire. During the Hajj season 1444, it served 242,272 pilgrims, bringing the total number of beneficiaries since its launch to 617,756 pilgrims.
