The Leadership of the Association of Hajj and Umrah Operators of Nigeria (AHUON) was invited to attend a virtual sensitization meeting on the 2024 Hajj and Umrah Conference and Exhibition from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah of Saudi Arabia. The leadership thereafter shared the meeting link with association members for their participation. Some of AHUON National Exco were invited to the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) to be part of the meeting with the Chairman, Malam Jalal Ahmad Arabi, OON, fwc.
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, in collaboration with the Pilgrims Experience Program, is breaking new ground in the realm of conferences and exhibitions. With a grand vision, they strive to assemble the greatest minds and visionaries at their annual gathering, encapsulating thought leaders, researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
This flagship event serves as a platform to showcase cutting-edge projects and initiatives launched by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Their primary objective is continually enhancing and sustaining the services provided to pilgrims, elevating competitiveness, and enriching the overall experience. By identifying and addressing challenges head-on, this innovative approach ensures that the ecosystem of Hajj and Umrah services continuously evolves to meet the growing needs of pilgrims.
The Kingdom’s visionary roadmap for 2030 guides these initiatives, paving the way for a future where pilgrims’ journeys are seamless, optimized, and genuinely transformative. The Hajj and Umrah Conference and Exhibition, superintended by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and the Pilgrims Experience Program, is more than just an assembly of high-profile speakers, industry pundits, and industrialists. It is a collective effort by the movers and shakers driven by a sheer commitment to bring to fruition the Kingdom’s audacious ambition of delivering unparalleled services to every pilgrim. Together, they forge a bold path toward a brighter, more interconnected future for the Hajj and Umrah sectors.
The meeting was convened to share updates on the 2024 Hajj Conference as the organisers target tour operators, mainly from Nigeria, because of the many pilgrims they serve. Thus, it was essential for them to participate in the Conference for Hajj and Umrah in January. The organisers would want a lot of Nigerian tour operators in attendance to get up-to-date and keep abreast of the latest information about Hajj and Umrah services.
It was noted that the Hajj conference is an annual event, and this year’s episode is exceptional because it would be sponsored by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. It would take place between 8 and 11 of January 2024. The opening ceremony is on January 8th in the Jeddah Superdome, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The conference seeks to foster cooperation and dialogue on enhancing the Hajj experience for millions of pilgrims worldwide. The Expo aims to create a platform for international engagement by bringing together organisations and governments to come together and showcase the latest developments in Hajj and Umrah. This year will feature a conference, exhibitions, workshops and active sessions designed for participants to engage in dialogue and workshops to train workers in the sector to enhance their experiences. There would be a global representation of attendees from over 80 countries. The Expo will feature cutting-edge technology that will transform the future of Hajj and Umrah.
More importantly, the need to attend is based on the fact that the conference would provide excellent positioning for all the service providers in the sector to discuss the latest policies and practices in the operation of Hajj and Umrah. It would also allow participants to familiarize themselves with regional and global best practices. The organisers are targeting the integration and enablement of communications. From its title, one would see the rise in engagement, which forms the core of Hajj and Umrah services.
Exhibitors at the conference will cover service providers in transportation, healthcare, logistics, supply, insurance cover, communications, etc. The organisers are offering the chance for dialogue, communication and competition. These are to ensure the delivery of the right services to the pilgrims. There were success stories from last year’s conference. Therefore, this year’s convergence seeks to build on them and have participants watch the success stories.
The procedures for attending the conference, including visa application, hotel accommodation, side attractions, etc., will be found on the website https/www.hajjumrahforum.com. The target is to reach 5000 participants from the international office. There would be recognition and awards for countries with the highest number of attendees and level of participation in the workshops and training sessions.
The anchor of the meeting from the Saudi side was Dr Badr, a traditional title holder of Mutawallen Zazzau in Zaria, Kaduna State. He has a lot of passion for Nigeria. He urged Nigerian tour operators to prove their worth in gold by winning the award for the best country in attendance and participation.
Tour operators were encouraged to use this golden opportunity to enhance their capacity in the Hajj and Umrah sectors. The organisers will assist participants in getting a tourist visa to attend the conference.
The Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Mal. Jalal thanked the organisers for allowing Nigerian tour operators to participate in the laudable initiative. He assured the organisers that the operators had listened to the proposals and presentations. He thereafter opened the floor for tour operators to ask questions or make comments.
Yours sincerely thanked the Chairman of NAHCON and the organisers for the opportunity. I remarked that we have listened to all that has been said and that insha Allah, members will endeavour to attend the Conference. I also asked if there would be arrangements for online registration and meet and greet formalities at the airport to enable participants to reach the right venue at the right time.
The online registration and other necessary information about the conference will be available on the website from next week, the Mutawallen Zazzau assured me. They would be more than happy, he said, to arrange for a meet and greet once they receive the final numbers of registered participants from Nigeria. They can also arrange transportation for participants from the airport to their hotels. All these can be provided for the conference participants. Also, chartered transportation can be arranged once they get the targeted number of participants from the country.
Brother Abdulmalik, the CEO of FAMAK Travels, expressed his delight at the meeting and the opportunity it offered. He thanked the Chairman of NAHCON and the organisers for this timely announcement. He requested a repeat of what was presented at the meeting in bullet points and a sharing of the modalities of attending the conference.
The slides will be shared with NAHCON. NAHCON will share with members as soon as possible, was the response.
The Chairman of NAHCON once again thanked the organisers for the initiative. He said that the commission will look forward to receiving the necessary documents to enhance Nigerian operators’ participation in the conference so that the commission can share with AHUON immediately without any delay.
The organisers look forward to receiving a vast number of Nigerian participants at the conference and express optimism that they will win the prize for the country with the most participants and the highest level of attendance in workshops and training sessions.
