From now on, Bangladeshi Muslim pilgrims can plan and prepare their own Umrah itinerary to visit Makkah and Madina as well as some other tourist destinations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). There will be a little need to go through various travel agencies for securing the KSA e-visa and booking hotels and transports in Makkah and Madina. To get all these facilities, any traveller will have to use the kingdom's virtual travel platform Nusuk (www.nusuk.sa) as it has been introduced in Bangladesh formally.
Saudi Tourism Authority and Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfig Al-Rabiah formally launched the online travel platform in Dhaka on August 24, 2023. On this occasion, a day-long road-show was also organised to demonstrate the features of the platform as well as various tourist facilities and attractions in Saudi Arabia. The event took place at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka which was attended by Bangladeshi officials, tour operators and travel organisations.
"It is our holy responsibility and we are committed to do everything possible to make the spiritual journey of the pilgrims safe, accessible, hassle-free and comfortable," the minister said during the launching ceremony of Nusuk. "We are constantly working on enriching your pilgrimage experience."
"We welcome you to Makkah, we welcome you to Madinah, we welcome you to Saudi Arabia. You can come anytime. You are always welcome," he added while talking to media.
Dr Tawfig Al-Rabiah led a 100-plus KSA delegation on a two-day visit to Bangladesh. During the visit, he met Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
The Saudi delegation's two-day visit to Bangladesh was a part of their efforts to highlight the kingdom's advancement in transforming the Hajj and Umrah ecosystem.
It is to be noted that Umrah is a spiritual travel to holy Kabba in Makkah. It involves only the rites of tawaf and sai with ihram. Umrah is also called small Hajj, although there is big difference between these two Islamic rituals.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and must be performed in the prescribed time period, in the second week of the month of Dhul Hijjah which is the twelfth or final month in the Islamic lunar calendar. It is obligatory for any Muslim who has the physical, psychological and financial ability once in a lifetime. Hajj involves staying in Mina, performing the rite of wuquf (standing) in the plains of Arafat, staying in Muzdalifah, and pelting the stone pillars, as well as sacrificing animals. In other words, Hajj is the 'annual march past' of Muslims around the Kabah, the 'annual world moot at Arafah and Muzdalifah' and the 'annual camping and social dinners at the plateau of Mina' to demonstrate and keep alive the sense of unity of Muslim Ummah.
Umrah, however, can be done any time of the year except the days of Hajj. Every year, tens of thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims visit Saudi Arabia for Umrah and Hajj pilgrimages. In the last Hajj season a total of 122,221 pilgrims went to Saudi Arabia by 325 flights of Biman, Saudia and Flynas airlines.
The Saudi Hajj minister also said that the civil aviation authorities of both countries signed an agreement to enhance connectivity.
Talking to Financial Express (FE) about their plan, Alhasan Aldabbagh, Nusuk Asia and Pacific President, said, "With Nusuk, our aim is to increase the ease and accessibility for Bangladeshi travellers, especially with the growing numbers of Umrah pilgrims."
Alhasan Aldabbagh also said Saudi Arabia increased the duration of Umrah visa to 90 days, reduced the insurance costs for Umrah pilgrims and made Zamzam water available with any type of visa.
Now Bangladeshis are also eligible for the 96-hour transit or stopover visa so that they can add Umrah as an itinerary stop.
In reply to another question, he said there were hundreds of services available under this programme, which would make Nusuk a competitive platform among Umrah service agencies.
He was of the view that Nusuk was a big change from the previous system that was limited to a few operators, which resulted in a monopoly and cost escalation.
"There are various attractions and offers between Makkah and Medina, to experience this life-changing moment and discover the rich culture, technology, archaeology and heritage Saudi Arabia has to offer along with Saudi hospitality," he added.
Terming Bangladesh as an important partner for KSA, Aldabbagh said that the country was the key strategic market to achieve Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030. "So far this year, we have already welcomed over 332,000 Bangladeshi travellers to our country and we look forward to taking this number to three million by 2030," he continued.
It is to be noted that KSA is the leading source of inward remittance for Bangladesh. In the last fiscal year (FY23), non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) remitted US$1,002.31 million home from Saudi Arabia. The amount was one-fifth of the country's total annual remittance inflow worth $21.610.66 billion.
The KSA is also one of the leading sources of imports for Bangladesh. In FY22, total imports from the kingdom were stood at $1693.3 million which was around 2.20 per cent of the country. Exports to the kingdom recorded at $297.46 million in FY23, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB).
Elaborating the initiatives to attract more tourists to the KSA, Aldabbagh said that there were six UNESCO World Heritage sites in Saudi Arabia, and more than 10 thousand archaeological sites such as Al Balad in Jeddah and Turaif in Diriyah. As outbound Bangladeshi tourists are growing in number and travelling to North America, Europe and East Asia, he added that Saudi Arabia also could be a good destination for them.
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