MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of Hajj and Umrah has announced the official launch of the online platform for pilgrims.

Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said that the platform, Nusuk, offers more than 100 services that help enrich the experience of pilgrims visiting Saudi Arabia, as part of the goals of Vision 2030.

Al-Rabiah said that Nusuk offers 75 services to businesses and 45 for individuals. He added that it will help more than 30 million people, in cooperation with more than 10,000 entities in the business sector and 25 government agencies.

He said that Nusuk was part of the Vision 2030 Pilgrim Experience Program, which is being run in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority.

Al-Rabiah said that the platform aimed to introduce pilgrims to all stages of performing Umrah and to the historical areas and religious sites in Makkah and Madinah.

He said Nusuk was a reliable platform providing integrated services with full transparency. It offers a planning gateway and  introduces health services, regulations and procedures and guidance for pilgrims.

The minister made his announcement during the Digital Government Conference, which brings together businesses, specialists and officials to discuss progress and challenges, review future direction and discuss investment opportunities.

Ahmed Saleh Halabi, a Hajj and Umrah services adviser,  said that Nusuk showed pilgrims what was available in Saudi Arabia and had done away with an old system where many pilgrims would arrive in Makkah and Madinah to perform their rituals, then leave without experiencing anything else.

Halabi said that Nusuk introduced pilgrims to monuments and facilities they can visit while in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed Bajaifer, an investor in Umrah companies, said that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had made pilgrimages easy and well-regulated, and visitors could be certain of the quality of all the services provided through Nusuk.