RIYADH – The second and actual phase of data registration for domestic pilgrims via the Ministry of Haj and Umrah's e-track website will begin on Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Tuesday quoting the ministry officials. The second stage aims to highlight the serviced and packages offered to 230,000 male and female Saudi and expatriate pilgrims through 190 domestic pilgrim service companies and establishments. In this stage the domestic pilgrims can register their data and select the program of their choice. The booking to avail of the listed services via the e-track will continue until Aug. 8 (Dhul Hijjah 7). To complete the booking, it is not compulsory for the prospective pilgrim to have entered the portal in the first stage, which started on Ramadan 15. At that point, the electronic portal was meant to acquaint the pilgrims with the programs and packages. The Ministry of Haj and Umrah has classified the services for domestic pilgrims during the forthcoming Haj into five hospitality packages and two economic packages. With a price range of SR7561-8161, the "Hospitality Package 1 Plus" offers accommodation in Makkah; Hospitality Package 2 will cost SR7,310 to 7,910; Hospitality Package 3 is priced at SR6508-7108; and Hospitality Package 4 has a price tag of SR5,708-6,308. In the Hospitality Package 1 Towers, which will cost SR11,905 per head, the pilgrims will be staying in the six towers owned by the Mina Real Estate Company in Mina. Previously known as the "Low-Cost Haj Program", Economic Package 1 will cost between SR3447 and SR4797. Economic Package 2, which represents what was previously known as "the Facilitated (Muyassar) Haj Program", is priced at SR3465 per pilgrim. All the programs provide the basic services of food and accommodation in Mina and Arafat. In turn, the packages contain several segments of services, having an added value in terms of accommodation, transportation and meals to meet the pilgrim's needs. The aim is also to provide several choices that suit all types of pilgrims. Deputy Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah Mashaat said the ministry set up the e-track to receive applications from citizens and expatriates intending to perform Haj. Through the electronic portal, the pilgrims can book the services in the programs and packages provided by the domestic Haj companies and establishments of their choice. Dr. Mashaat further said that the electronic portal for domestic pilgrims became comprehensive to the extent it served several categories. It displays the licensed companies and establishments qualified to provide the service to domestic pilgrims. This step was in line with the directives of Minister of Haj and Umrah Dr. Muhammad Saleh Bin Taher Benten. It aims to facilitate matters for the pilgrims, achieve transparency between the two parties to the contract, and supervise and monitor the sales operations, which can be carried out exclusively through the e-track. "The e-track will be the only outlet for booking domestic Haj services for all approved programs," Dr. Mashaat said. For those wishing to perform Haj, the e-track will provide a secure means for signing a contract with a company licensed by the ministry. Any registration outside this e-track is being provided by bogus and unlicensed companies, Mashaat warned. The registration comprises a few easy steps. Visitors to the e-track website must enter their personal data to determine whether they are eligible to perform Haj during the year. This is because of Saudi nationals and expatriate residents in the country are allowed to perform the Haj only once in five years. The visitors can then choose the service package of his choice and generate the invoice. Once the payment is made, the data will be referred to the Ministry of Interior through integration with the e-track to issue the Haj permit. Finally, the pilgrims' data will be sent to the pertinent service provider in order to make arrangements for the Haj journey.
