The first tourism Hajj groups traveling by air arrive in Madinah
“Hajj Without Luggage” passes its first test so far; delays are individual cases that the mission is quickly addressing
Trips transporting tourism pilgrims by land and air from Egypt to Saudi airports and ports continued, with pilgrims flowing into Makkah and Madinah. By noon today, the number of pilgrims who had arrived in the holy lands had reached around 6,000 from the economy, land and five-star Hajj programs.
This came amid full readiness and mobilization among all sub-committees of the tourism Hajj mission at the various airports and ports, with follow-up from the main committee in Makkah headed by Samia Samy, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Company Affairs, Head of the Supreme Committee for Hajj and Umrah and Head of the Tourist Hajj Affairs Office, as part of continuous follow-up to ensure pilgrims' comfort and the smooth completion of their travel procedures and arrival in the holy lands.
Egyptian and Saudi airports and ports saw notable organization and facilitation that helped speed up procedures and ease pilgrims' arrival, reflecting the scale of coordination between Egyptian and Saudi authorities in serving the Guests of God.
These efforts are carried out in full coordination between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, represented by the Central Department of Companies, and the Chamber of Tourism Companies, represented by the Religious Tourism Committee, in cooperation and coordination with Al Rajhi Hajj Services company, which is responsible for hosting tourism pilgrims.
In a related context, the first five-star tourism Hajj flights arrived in Madinah today. The pilgrims were received by members of the tourism sub-committee headed by Ahmed Saleh, Head of the Tourism Hajj Committee in Madinah, with immediate follow-up from the general supervisor of the tourism Hajj mission, as well as Ehab El Bayoumi, Director General of the Department for the Inspection of Travel Companies at the ministry.
The committee, which includes representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Chamber of Tourism Companies under the supervision of the Chamber's Executive Director Osama Emara, received the flights at Madinah airport and checked that all procedures were completed quickly, then accompanied the pilgrims to their hotels in Madinah, made sure they received their Nusuk cards, followed the arrival of luggage from the airport to their accommodation and checked on the level of services provided to them. Representatives of Al Rajhi were also there to receive them and provide the necessary support and facilities. The pilgrims were overjoyed, with joyful ululations ringing out at the hotel receptions amid the flowers and gifts with which the hospitality company's representatives welcomed them.
On the other hand, pilgrims continue to arrive in Makkah and Madinah as the Saudi authorities apply the "Hajj Without Luggage" service for the first time on all tourism Hajj programs. So far, the system has seen no major problems or significant delays in the arrival of pilgrims' luggage, thanks to the modern technical system the Saudi authorities rely on to deliver the service.
Observations were limited to a few cases of short delays in the arrival of a small number of bags, and these cases are decreasing despite the growing number of pilgrims arriving in Makkah and Madinah.
In this context, the tourism Hajj sub-committees deployed in Makkah and Madinah stepped in, which meant pilgrims did not feel any delay in the arrival of their luggage except in some individual cases.
