Kingdom launches Hajj package preference phase

The initiative helps pilgrims make informed choices ahead of the official booking phase and provides service providers with insights to prepare for the season. (SPA)
Short Url
Updated 10 January 2026
Follow

Kingdom launches Hajj package preference phase

RIYADH: The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has launched its package preference phase on the Nusuk Hajj platform for this year’s Hajj season, targeting pilgrims from countries under the Direct Hajj Program.

It allows prospective pilgrims to review available service packages, compare options by service level, content, and cost, and select up to five preferred packages, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The initiative helps pilgrims make informed choices ahead of the official booking phase and provides service providers with insights to prepare for the season.

The Nusuk Hajj platform simplifies the pilgrimage process with features such as package comparison tools, popularity indicators, installment-based deposits via a digital wallet, and access to an approved list of service providers, the SPA added.

The ministry urged eligible pilgrims to register or update their information on the platform, ensure the accuracy of all personal data, and add the details of family members performing Hajj to facilitate verification and accelerate approvals.

The ministry also stressed that Nusuk Hajj is the sole official platform for Hajj services in Direct Hajj Program countries and warned against using unauthorized entities.

All deposits and bookings must be made exclusively through the platform to ensure procedural integrity and protect pilgrim rights.

For details on the countries included in the program, visit Nusuk.sa. To register or update information, go to Hajj.nusuk.sa.

This announcement applies only to countries under the Direct Hajj Program; procedures in other countries follow their respective approved channels.


Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait

Updated 12 February 2026
Follow

Saudi Arabia champions AI and sustainable growth at UN tourism meeting in Kuwait

  • Saudi Tourism Minister says tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy, contributing about $10 trillion to global GDP 

KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Minister Ahmed Al-Khateeb has called for stronger international cooperation to build a tourism ecosystem that is integrated, resilient, and future-ready, the Saudi Press Agency reported Thursday.

In a opening address at the 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East in Kuwait City, he noted that tourism is “no longer a peripheral activity but a massive engine of economic development.”

“With an estimated contribution exceeding $10 trillion to global GDP, tourism today accounts for approximately 10 percent of the world economy,” said Al-Khateeb, speaking as president of the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly. The three-day conference opened on Feb. 10.

He pointed to the Middle East’s exceptional recovery, which recorded a 39 percent increase in international arrivals in 2025 compared to 2019, welcoming nearly 100 million visitors last year.

The minister highlighted Saudi Arabia’s driving force behind these regional statistics, noting that the Kingdom now represents approximately 30% of the Middle East tourism market in both visitor numbers and spending.

“We are proud that Saudi tourism’s uninterrupted growth has become a driving force for regional tourism, and we look forward to continuing our close cooperation with UN Tourism to share our expertise with the world,” he said.

Focus on AI

Addressing the meeting’s central theme of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al-Khateeb emphasized the need for responsible innovation. He described AI as a key enabler for growth but stressed that the “human touch” defining the hospitality sector must be maintained and the workforce protected.

On the sidelines of the regional commission, the minister met with counterparts from across the region to explore ways to promote regional cooperation and alignment to enhance resilience and build tourism industries that can drive inclusive economic and social development.

Al-Khateeb also met with leading investors from Kuwait to discuss investments in the Kingdom’s tourism sector and explore new opportunities to leverage Saudi Arabia’s integrated investment ecosystem, designed to enable regional and international investors to achieve sustainable, long-term value.

The 52nd UN Tourism Regional Commission for the Middle East is the first held in the region since the 26th UN Tourism General Assembly, hosted in Riyadh last November. 

That assembly resulted in the historic “Riyadh Declaration on the Future of Tourism,” which established a global consensus on sustainability, inclusive growth, and the responsible adoption of human-centric AI for the next fifty years.