Muscat (ONA) – The first Hajj and Umrah Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs in the Sultanate of Oman, began today. The exhibition represents a platform for all partners, including service providers in the Hajj and Umrah sectors in the Sultanate of Oman and internationally, to meet at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre. The three-day event will feature the participation of government agencies, the private sector, and Hajj and Umrah companies.
The opening of the exhibition was sponsored by Sheikh Al Fadl bin Mohammed Al Harthy, Secretary General of the Council of Ministers.
The exhibition aims to strengthen partnerships between all Hajj and Umrah partners in the Sultanate of Oman by bringing them together on a single, realistic platform. It also aims to provide and enhance opportunities for competition between service providers from the Sultanate of Oman to the Guests of God. It also aims to encourage creativity and innovation, provide quality services to pilgrims, facilitate the means of presenting services to pilgrims, assist them in making the most appropriate choices, and enhance the wealth of knowledge, history, documentation, science, culture, and Islamic law through quality and diverse programs that accompany the exhibition.
Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Rashidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, said in the ministry’s speech: “The ministry has been working through its electronic system for registering pilgrims to develop the Hajj and Umrah system to achieve quality and satisfaction. The electronic system, which won the “Laytim Excellence” award from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the best electronic service among 76 countries, received more than 40 Hajj applications this season, and 14 pilgrims were accepted according to the eligibility criteria and regulations.”
He explained that the exhibition represents the largest real-world platform for Hajj and Umrah service providers, with more than 30 public and private sector entities from within and outside the Sultanate of Oman participating in its first edition, in addition to Hajj and Umrah companies. This aims to strengthen partnerships between all Hajj and Umrah partners, enhance opportunities for competition among service providers, encourage creativity and ideas, and provide quality services to pilgrims and Umrah performers.
He added that the exhibition is accompanied by the "Nusuk" activities, in its eleventh edition, which presents the rituals in an interactive manner using virtual reality, robotics, and other technologies. The number of visitors to the previous edition reached more than two thousand in person, and more than nine thousand beneficiaries virtually, and we look forward to even greater numbers this season.
He pointed out that the Ministry has launched a package of initiatives presented by the Omani Hajj Mission for the 1446 AH season, namely the Rabat House Endowments Initiative to support those eligible for Hajj for the 1446 AH season (from social security categories), as more than 150 pilgrims will benefit from this initiative with a total amount exceeding 150 thousand Omani riyals. There is also the Hajj companies’ readiness measurement initiative, which aims to ensure the highest standards of efficiency and quality and improve the performance of Hajj companies in line with the next phase of managing the affairs of the Sultanate of Oman’s pilgrims according to clear targets and specific performance indicators. There is also the mobile carts initiative (to serve the elderly), as carts will be provided to perform the Tawaf and Sa’i rituals. It is expected that about 450 pilgrims from the elderly and people with disabilities will benefit from this initiative for this season. There is also the electronic tracking bracelets initiative, as a number of electronic bracelets will be provided for the elderly and special medical cases to enhance security and follow-up and reduce cases of loss. There is also the initiative to expand the plan to delegating the Sultanate of Oman’s pilgrims through land ports, as the first phase achieved success in facilitating the passage of pilgrims and reducing the average waiting time for buses, as This year's bus transportation plan will be expanded to include all ports, including the bus transportation to the Mina camp at the land port, from XNUMX hours to approximately XNUMX minutes per bus.
A number of accompanying events will be held on the sidelines of the exhibition, most notably a series of lectures on learning the Hajj rituals, the spiritual aspects of Hajj, and its objectives, a training session for Hajj companies titled "Welcome," and an introductory lecture on the systems and services provided to pilgrims.
(is over)
