MAKKAH — Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said on Tuesday that the number of pilgrims who came to perform Hajj this year stood at 1,845,045 people from more than 150 countries. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, the minister announced the success of the plan to help ascend the pilgrims the plains of Arafat, and the completion of their arrival at exactly 10 a.m., as the compliance rate in the pilgrims' movement reached 98 percent. Al-Rabiah stressed that early preparations were made for this year's Hajj, through the establishment of a center to manage all tasks and projects in coordination with all government sectors. "This year, we see that the plan of pilgrims' grouping and ascending was carried out in ease, and its results appeared earlier," he said. "With regard to the use of smart technologies, we have developed and expanded the services of the smart card for the pilgrims, through which the pilgrims can access their locations within the Holy Sites. "We have also cooperated with companies specialized in maps to ensure that the sites of the campaigns are reflected on the electronic systems," the minister added. It is noteworthy that the General Authority for Statistics announced that the number of foreign pilgrims came from the Arab countries accounted for 346,214 that represented 21 percent. While pilgrims from African countries, excluding Arab countries, reached 221,863 (13.4 percent), whereas the number of pilgrims from Europe, America, Australia, and other unclassified countries reached 36,521, representing 2.1 percent. Among the pilgrims, a total of 1,593,271 arrived through airports, while 60,813 pilgrims arrived through land ports, while 6,831 pilgrims arrived through sea ports. The authority indicated that the number of countries benefiting from the Makkah Road Initiative reached seven countries, and the number of beneficiaries from this initiative reached 242,272 male and female pilgrims.
