reliance on intermediaries. Today, the kingdom is working to make the experience more transparent, regulated and digitally enabled. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah’s digital ecosystem, including Nusuk and Nusuk Hajj, has become central to this new operating model. Pilgrims can access information, book packages, compare services and manage parts of the journey online. For Hajj 2026, Saudi authorities opened package preference and direct registration processes through Nusuk Hajj for pilgrims from designated markets, giving travellers a clearer route into the official system. This is a commercial success story as well as an operational one. In religious travel, trust is everything. Pilgrims are often making one of the most important journeys of their lives, and many are travelling with family members, older relatives or community groups. Verified accommodation, licensed ground handlers, transparent payments and official permits all help to reduce uncertainty. Technology is also moving deeper into the journey itself. During Hajj 2026, Saudi Arabia deployed AI-enabled crowd management, smart monitoring, digital identification and mobile services to improve safety, navigation and response times. The Nusuk Card, digital permits, emergency assistance, weather updates and wayfinding tools show how data is being used to manage one of the most complex live travel environments on earth. The private sector is now being drawn into this transformation. In June 2026, Wego announced a partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to create an integrated digital Umrah platform, combining flights, verified hotels, licensed ground services and facilitated visa request submissions in a single flow. Mawasim, part of Saudi’s Almosafer and Seera Group, shows how this ecosystem is broadening. Positioned as a Hajj and Umrah solutions provider, the company offers end-to-end travel arrangements and simplified sourcing for external agents in key international source markets. Its services span accommodation in Makkah, Madinah and beyond; domestic and international flights; transportation; visa processing, including Booking Reference Number generation for Umrah
than Makkah. The city’s spiritual significance is timeless, but its urban fabric is being rebuilt for a new era of movement, comfort and capacity. Major projects around the Holy Mosque are expanding the hospitality and mixed-use offer, with development stretching across hotels, serviced apartments, retail, healthcare, pedestrian routes and transport systems. Masar Destination, one of Makkah’s flagship urban developments, extends over more than 1.2 million square metres and is designed around hospitality, mobility, retail and cultural services while preserving the city’s spiritual character. Masar’s emphasis on safe mobility is particularly important. Separating pedestrian and vehicle movement, integrating public transport options and improving access flows are not just urban design choices; in a pilgrim city, they are central to safety, comfort and dignity. Other major Makkah developments, including Jabal Omar, Thakher Makkah and Rua Al Haram, are also part of a broader shift towards large-scale, integrated hospitality districts.
visa processing and eVisa facilitation through an integrated system with Nusuk; Hajj and Umrah packages from economy to premium tiers; and tours and activities that encourage pilgrims to explore beyond the core rituals. Through Nusuk Hajj, Mawasim also provides curated Hajj packages for pilgrims from selected markets including North America, Europe, Australia, the US, US and Canada. These developments are collectively changing the commercial architecture of pilgrimage. Religious travel is becoming easier to package, safer to sell and more transparent to manage, opening fresh opportunities for travel sellers, OTAs, DMCs, hospitality groups and destination marketers that understand both the operational demands and the spiritual sensitivity of the market.
The goal is to make reli- gious travel easier, safer, and more connected, in every way
MAKKAH MOVES INTO ITS NEXT ERA
As Saudi Arabia digitises the planning journey, it is also rebuilding the physical journey on the ground, and nowhere is the scale of that change more visible
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