Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



KSA is a world leader in crowd management and use of technology to serve pilgrims
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 10 - 07 - 2021

The successive achievements and the implementation of growing projects have made the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a world leader in managing crowds that perform the Hajj rituals every year. However, the Kingdom had to reduce the number of pilgrims this year, driven by the precautionary measures deemed necessary to preserve the health and safety of pilgrims in light of the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has harnessed, from an early stage, its various resources, and launched its operational plan for the Hajj season this year, which includes a package of services that support electronic and technical applications that make the pilgrim's journey easy and comfortable, with a focus on improving services by raising the efficiency of performance, and proficiency in providing work.
The Ministry has completed all sets required for the transportation of pilgrims amid the application of precautionary measures, through urgent projects for high-frequency transportation, establishing systems and techniques for monitoring and follow-up, developing spatial databases on the journey of pilgrims, developing models and simulations in the transportation system for pilgrims, electronic integration with the Transport Information Center, and developing mechanism of private transport contracts, in order to improve the transport service and guarantee the rights of all parties.
In a pioneering step, the ministry has implemented the electronic delivery of housing camps to pilgrims in the Holy Sites, and electronic linkage with the concerned authorities to follow up on reports and malfunctions in the camps, in addition to launching the project of pre-prepared meals in cooperation with catering providers, as this would ensure a healthy environment for pilgrims under the exceptional circumstances under which the Hajj is performed this year.
In order to advance the service of the pilgrims, the ministry has enabled Hajj agencies to transform into shareholding companies, as part of the ministry's strategies to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 by developing the Hajj and Umrah system, and moving from serving the pilgrims to a specialized industry that is provided with professionalism.
Also, the Ministry has developed the Hajj service agencies, with the aim of improving the services provided to pilgrims using the latest technology and employing human efforts and technical capabilities to achieve this goal.
Stemming from its belief that human health and safety come first, and out of the Kingdom's constant keenness to enable the guests of the Two Holy Mosques, a decision has been taken to limit the number of pilgrims to 60,000 due to the Coronavirus and its implications, for the second year. The nature of the crowds during Hajj 'makes the application of the highest degree of precaution extremely important.
The Ministry's Vision Realization Office has worked extensively to boost the level of coordination with the entities supporting the realization of the vision, and to enhance the quality and harmonization of initiatives and projects, in light of the awareness of all employees of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of the importance of serving the pilgrims.
Moreover, the Ministry has launched the electronic path for domestic pilgrims to book and purchase Hajj packages, to match this electronic achievement with the qualitative leap achieved by the Ministry in various fields of services for pilgrims, including the expansion of technology in its various sectors and departments, and the introduction of the "Smart Hajj" card, which was awarded the Makkah Excellence Award in its twelfth session.
The card adopts "near field communication technology "NFC" that allows reading the card through self-service devices available in the Holy Sites. The card includes several features such as guiding pilgrims to their accommodation in the holy sites, controlling access to various facilities, and limiting illegal Hajj.
Among the technical projects employed by the Ministry to serve pilgrims is the "electronic bracelet" that shows the identity of the pilgrims including their official data, in addition to what is included in the Ministry's website, where there is a unified call center, and links to all partners in the Hajj and Umrah system.
The website facilitates browsing for all information required by pilgrims, including the sectors participating in the services of pilgrims, such as the General Cars Syndicate, tourism companies, and institutions for domestic pilgrims.
In this regard, the Ministry has launched the "Smart Hajj" platform and the "Service Monitoring" initiative to raise the level of housing services in order to provide additional spaces for pilgrims and regulate high-frequency transport systems.
They has launched other programs dedicated to crowd management through an electronic system for preparing and monitoring the grouping dispatch plan, in addition to increasing the absorptive capacity, building camps equipped with various services, and the "electronic system for the Holy Sites" initiative, through a technical monitoring system to measure the readiness of the holy sites and its relevant facilities. — SPA


Clic here to read the story from its source.