Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 'Expo Hajj', a dedicated event for companies involved in providing Hajj and Umrah services, in Jeddah from January 9 to 12.

 

The four-day expo is part of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's ongoing efforts to develop innovative services and solutions to better serve pilgrims.

 

The ministry works to improve their journeys to the Two Holy Mosques and enrich their religious and cultural experiences in order to fulfill the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030. 

 

The Expo Hajj aims to build a thriving digital ecosystem that will help pilgrims have better experiences. It also brings together influential people from all over the world to discuss and plan technical advancements based on solid scientific foundations, to anticipate the future needs of pilgrims, and to create chances for partnerships, agreements, and initiatives on a local and global scale.

 

The annual event will be organized by the ministry under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al Faisal, Advisor to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Governor of Makkah.

 

Dr Tawfiq Al Rabiah, Minister of Hajj and Umrah, emphasized the major role played by the kingdom in 'fulfilling the dreams of all Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.' 

 

He called upon creative thinkers to come together and share their knowledge at the upcoming expo and help achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 objectives. 

 

"The event is expected to attract a limited group of elites from both the public and private sectors. There will be over 200 speakers and participants from both sectors at the event, all working together to generate fresh, creative ideas that will exceed guests' expectations," stated Al Rabiah.

 

The conference will discuss and highlight a wide range of themes relevant to the development of services for guests, including logistics, transportation, crowd management operations, housing and hospitality services, catering services, facility and service management, safety and health care, and enriching pilgrims’ experiences.

 

The inaugural edition of Expo Hajj held last year was a smashing success, with over 45,000 attendees and 115 commercial agreements with exhibitors, said the minister. 

 

In this year's edition, the conference had featured a wide range of scientific sessions, workshops, and training programmes. 

 

The event was attended by several public and private sector Hajj and Umrah operators, as well as ministers of Islamic affairs, endowments and Hajj from around the world.-TradeArabia News Service