The pilgrimages to the historic and holiest sites of Islam, Mecca and Medina, break all records. 16 million pilgrims are expected this year, more than ever before. A digital platform is intended to avoid chaos, regulate processes and strengthen the Umra industry in the future.

The Umra is the so-called small pilgrimage, which, in contrast to the large pilgrimage, the Hajj, can be made at any time in the course of a year.

Time and again, pilgrimages had cost people their lives in the dense crowds. The ‘Nusuk’ platform, which was introduced two years ago, is intended to make it easier to plan visits. After just one year of existence, the Nusuk app was the most downloaded travel app. It is not only available in Arabic, but also in ten languages. Users from more than 100 nations worldwide use the app to plan their Umra and their stay in Saudi Arabia.

Nusuk is a One-stop shop platform, the first official planning, booking and experience platform that allows the Umrah to religious sites to be planned in advance. Travelers from all over the world can use it to organize their entire visit, from applying for an electronic visa to booking hotels, flights and train trips. In addition, depending on capacity, visits to the pilgrim destinations can be fixed so that traffic jams in the crowded pilgrim sites can be avoided and the rituals can run smoothly.

With the Nusuk app, users can even watch Friday sermons from the mosques live, which are translated simultaneously into many languages. This is intended to promote the reach of sermons regardless of location.

Saudi Arabia wants to establish itself as a global religious destination. Pilgrim tourism is an important source of income for the country, which wants to make its economy less dependent on oil.

The accelerated expansion of international networking also serves this purpose. The country is connected to 23 new international destinations and thus has a total of 250 connections. There are currently nine million seats on international flights to Saudi Arabia. By 2030, this figure is to be significantly increased.

The expansion of the 450-kilometer high-speed connection between Mecca and Medina also serves this goal. The new Haramain Express, which Deutsche Bahn was also involved in the construction of, reaches a speed of 300 kilometers per hour. The trip on a private route through the desert takes just two hours. Last year, the high-speed train carried seven million passengers.

Pilgrimage is thus developing into a real Umra industry. The number of pilgrims from all over the world is increasing by leaps and bounds from year to year. Musab Hashem, Deputy Managing Director of Nusuk, wants to make the platform a pioneer in the use of technology and thus promote pilgrimages.

Eko