Ensuring all the basic facilities suited to each pilgrim are available in the camps and that the camps are suitable for receiving people with special needs
Cameras with sensors count the pilgrims in each camp to make sure numbers match the set capacity
Technologies read the barcode of each pilgrim's Nusuk card to ensure pilgrims enter only their assigned camps
Companies allocate their pilgrims' places in the holy sites camps online, before receiving the camps
The official Egyptian tourism Hajj mission currently in Saudi Arabia, headed by Samia Samy, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Travel Company Affairs, Head of the Egyptian Tourist Hajj Affairs Office and Head of the Supreme Committee for Hajj and Umrah, in cooperation with the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies, carried out a field inspection tour of a number of tourism pilgrims' camps in Mina for the 1447 AH-2026 Hajj season, which travel companies are due to receive in the coming days, well ahead of the move to Arafat.
Taking part in the tour were members of the Supreme Committee for Hajj and Umrah: Ahmed Ibrahim, Head of the Chamber's Religious Tourism Committee, and Yousry El Saudi and Walid Khalil, members of the Chamber's Religious Tourism Committee.
During the tour, the committee inspected tourism pilgrims' camps at their different levels (five-star, economy, land and Kidana Towers) to check their readiness to receive pilgrims and make sure all approved facilities and services are available, ensuring the highest levels of comfort and care for the Guests of God.
For her part, Samia Samy stressed that the ministry attaches great importance to monitoring the quality of services provided to tourism pilgrims and continuously developing them, ensuring the highest levels of comfort and care while performing the rituals.
The committee was also keen to make sure the camps are ready and suitable for receiving people with special needs, by providing ramps at camp entrances to ease movement, as well as suitable toilets, ensuring ease of movement and services suited to their needs.
The tour also followed a number of modern organizational procedures and mechanisms applied for the first time this season, with detailed data fixed on the seat (sofa bed) assigned to each pilgrim, including the pilgrim's number, block number and gate number, helping to organize pilgrims' movement inside the camps and making it easier for them to reach their places.
The committee also reviewed a modern electronic system set up inside the camps that relies on cameras with sensors to count the pilgrims in each camp and make sure numbers match the set capacity, issuing instant alerts if the specified numbers are exceeded.
The system also includes technologies to read the barcode of each pilgrim's Nusuk card, ensuring pilgrims enter only their assigned camps, with an instant alert issued if any pilgrim enters a camp not assigned to them, as part of strengthening organization and safety at the holy sites.
During the tour, the committee made sure all basic facilities are available, including comfortable beds (sofa beds), adequate space for each pilgrim, air conditioning, clean drinking water and toilets, as well as medical clinics in each camp, prayer areas and places serving daily meals with drinks, juices and ice cream, in addition to sufficient numbers of service staff to meet pilgrims' needs, especially amid high temperatures.
The committee also noted a few limited observations about some facilities, and directed that they be addressed and completed as soon as possible before pilgrims start arriving at the holy sites.
The tourism camps inspection committee continues its work around the clock, carrying out daily reviews and submitting periodic reports to follow completion rates and make sure all preparations are completed well before pilgrims move to Arafat.
From the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the tour was attended by Ehab El Bayoumi, Director General of the General Department of Inspection; Eng. Mohamed Reda, Director General of the General Department of Religious Tourism at the Central Department of Travel Companies; Eng. Hossam El Badawy, Director General of the General Department of Tourist Transport; Eng. Mostafa Asr, Director of the Development and Technical Support Unit; and Hany Nasr, member of the technical office of the Central Department of Companies.
New Technologies
In a related context, the tourism Hajj mission launched a new mechanism for the current 1447 AH Hajj season which, for the first time, allowed travel companies organizing Hajj this year to see early, accurately, in detail and directly where their pilgrims will stay inside the holy sites camps in Mina and Arafat. Even before pilgrims traveled to the holy lands, it also allowed pilgrims to be allocated places in the Mina and Arafat camps, with the camp number and sofa bed number specified for each pilgrim.
This procedure was carried out online for the first time, helping travel companies quickly reach their camps at the holy sites and receive their assigned camps easily around a week before Hajj, a first in the history of tourism Hajj.
The mechanism allowed companies to enter and review their pilgrims' accommodation details, whether in Makkah, Madinah or the holy sites, specifying the dates of stay precisely, all in full and distinguished cooperation and coordination with Al Rajhi Hajj Services Group, which is responsible for hosting tourism pilgrims. The new mechanism was implemented and activated in full coordination between the ministry's companies sector and the Chamber of Tourism Companies.
A Place for Every Pilgrim
In this context, Ahmed Ibrahim, Head of the Chamber's Religious Tourism Committee, explained that the new mechanism ensures pilgrims on all tourism Hajj programs, “five-star, economy and land”, are easily housed in the Mina and Arafat camps, preventing the crowding and confusion that used to prevail in the camps as soon as pilgrims arrived, and tackling the random, disorganized rush to claim sofa beds and places inside the camps.
He added that the new mechanism eliminates any crowding, randomness or disputes between companies and pilgrims over places inside the camps, enabling pilgrims to perform the rituals calmly and peacefully under a clear and defined system.
The Religious Tourism Committee followed up daily on the companies' smooth implementation of the new mechanism, thanks to its excellent technical infrastructure, implemented as part of the automation of work between the ministry and the Chamber.
Ibrahim explained that the new mechanism greatly paved the way for preparing pilgrims' camps in coordination between the committee and Al Rajhi Hajj Services company, which is responsible for hosting tourism pilgrims and headed by Eng. Bandar Al Rajhi, with round-the-clock follow-up by companies of the distribution and accommodation of their pilgrims, and preparations now under way to receive the camps easily based on this mechanism.
Early Distribution of Pilgrims
The head of the Religious Tourism Committee stated that companies were specifically notified days ago, before their pilgrims traveled to the holy lands, of the locations of their camps in Mina and Arafat and the number of seats, or sofa beds, assigned to each company and their numbers.
In full coordination with the committee and the Chamber's administrative body, under the supervision of Executive Director Osama Emara, companies housed their pilgrims in the assigned places and notified the Chamber to coordinate with Al Rajhi company, which is responsible for hosting tourism pilgrims, with the final distribution supervised by Ahmed Samir, the company's Deputy CEO. Swaps and changes were allowed where possible, but without exceeding the number and places set for each company according to its number of pilgrims. Pilgrims were arranged according to each company's vision or according to linked programs, with continuous adjustment and follow-up possible, helping to improve camp management and ease pilgrims' movement inside them.
In this context, the mission has already confirmed that companies have housed their pilgrims in the camps and that Al Rajhi company has implemented the companies' allocations on the ground, days before the camps are handed over.
