The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah scheduled the sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition for Nov. 8-11 in Jeddah, according to Asharq Al-Awsat and Arab News. More than 520 government, private, and nonprofit entities were expected to take part. Asharq Al-Awsat said the event is meant to finalize contracts for the next Hajj season, which Arab News identified as 2027.
The exhibition gathers organizations and service providers from more than 150 countries, Arab News reported on Oct. 10. The event was set to begin 40 days after the ministry said overseas Hajj agencies can arrange accommodation, transport, meals, and holy-site services through a single contract for 2027, Arab News reported on Sept. 29.
Under the package, pilgrims’ affairs offices and overseas agencies can submit one electronic request covering essential services from a pilgrim’s arrival in the Kingdom until departure, replacing separate agreements with individual providers, according to Arab News. The package builds on Nusuk Masar, a platform launched in June 2024 that connects pilgrims, staff, service companies, and pilgrims’ affairs offices and lets providers create packages and complete contracts digitally.
The ministry says the single contract aims to simplify procedures, improve transparency, and clarify the contractual relationships between agencies, pilgrims’ affairs offices, and service companies, Arab News reported. The Arab News report of the announcement gave no prices, quotas, or deadlines for the 2027 package, so how service companies will price bundled offers has not been published.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Splits the Exhibition Into Three Tracks
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah organized the event into three tracks, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. The first, infrastructure and operational services, covers transportation and logistics, infrastructure and facilities management, housing and hospitality, and catering and nutrition. The Halal Times has reported separately on halal consumables during Hajj.
The second track, empowerment and integration, takes in safety and security, healthcare, media and communication, and technology and innovation. The third, sustainable development, covers the nonprofit sector, entrepreneurship, training, and the pilgrim experience. Exhibitor communities span aviation, transportation, hospitality, healthcare, infrastructure, technology, workforce, investment, and business development, according to the same report.
The program has more than 15 main zones and programs, Arab News reported in an Oct. 10 preview by Nada Hameed. They include the Hajj Conference, the Hajj Council, and an Awareness and Training Forum that Arab News said is held for the first time, alongside workshops, a hackathon, an entrepreneurship and innovation zone, a business center, and technology, health, media, and aviation hubs. A special meeting is planned for heads of pilgrim affairs offices.
The event is organized with the Pilgrim Experience Program, one of the programs of Saudi Vision 2030, under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, according to Asharq Al-Awsat. Arab News said the event covers contracts, operational and organizational arrangements, and seasonal readiness for the 2027 Hajj season.
The All-Inclusive Hajj Package Puts Four Services in One Contract
The all-inclusive Hajj package groups four service areas into one contract, according to Arab News. They are services at the holy sites, accommodation in Makkah and Madinah, transport, and meals. Agencies can add optional services on top of that core. For an overseas agency, that means a single contract for the essentials in place of separate agreements with individual service providers, according to Arab News.
The last Hajj season drew 1,707,301 pilgrims in total, of whom 1,546,655 came from outside Saudi Arabia and 160,646 from within the Kingdom, according to the General Authority for Statistics, as reported by Arab News. By those figures, pilgrims from outside Saudi Arabia made up about nine in ten of last season’s total.
Arab News did not say which optional services agencies may add, or whether products such as travel insurance for Hajj pilgrims fall within them. The Halal Times has asked separately whether Makkah has become a city for the rich only.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah Held Readiness Talks With 78 Countries
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah met Hajj affairs offices from 78 countries before the exhibition, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Arab News carried the report on Oct. 6. The meetings were meant to improve readiness, monitor operational plans, and align requirements and timelines before the upcoming season. The report did not name the countries.
The agenda covered the stages of preparation, progress against the approved schedule, package procedures, and contracting with authorized service providers, according to the report. Officials also discussed awareness programs, regulations, and arrangements for accommodation, transportation, catering, and crowd management.
Preparations for the season began in May, when the ministry delivered a preparation document and operational schedule to Hajj affairs offices, followed by an evaluation of the previous season, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Visitor Numbers Have Risen With Every Reported Edition
Visitor counts reported by Arab News rose at each edition of the Hajj Conference and Exhibition for which it gave a figure. The first edition was held in Jeddah in March 2022 under the theme Transformation Towards Innovation. The second, in January 2023, drew more than 60,000 visitors and over 200 companies. The third drew about 100,000 visitors, more than 200 service providers, 27 government entities, and more than 80 ministers and heads of Hajj missions, and Hajj agreements with 76 countries were announced there.
The fourth edition, A Passage to the Rituals, had about 150,000 attendees and agreements with 77 countries, according to Arab News. Last year’s edition attracted more than 204,000 visitors and featured 270 exhibitors from more than 150 countries, with 134 specialized sessions and workshops and more than 2,600 participants in training programs, according to both Arab News and Asharq Al-Awsat.
Arab News put exhibitors at 300 for the fourth edition and 270 for last year’s, while countries represented rose from more than 100 to more than 150. Neither preview gave an exhibitor count for this year; the 520-plus figure covers participating entities of all kinds.
Pilgrim Experience Program Targets Set the Longer Horizon
The Pilgrim Experience Program has set targets for 2030 that run beyond the 2027 season, Arab News reported. They are capacity for 30 million Umrah pilgrims and a pilgrim satisfaction rate of 90 percent that year. The Halal Times has reported separately on trust in Southeast Asia’s Umrah market.
The sixth Hajj Conference and Exhibition was scheduled to run through Nov. 11. At the third and fourth editions, Hajj agreements with 76 and 77 countries were announced, according to Arab News. Neither preview said whether new country agreements would be announced this year.
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