JAKARTA: Indonesia is ready to send hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to the holy city of Makkah for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, the Ministry of Religious Affairs said, with the first batch set to leave for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) next week.
Indonesians Ready to Depart for Saudi Arabia to Perform Hajj
According to Arab News, the Hajj quota for the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation returned to its pre-pandemic figures in 2023. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) initially approved the pilgrim quota of 221,000 and later added more 8,000.
“I think Indonesia is ready; we are just waiting for departure,” Arsad Hidayat, director of Hajj guidance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs said. Arsad Hidayat said the first batch of pilgrims will leave Indonesia on May 24, and authorities are making final preparations to accommodate the more 8,000 pilgrims.
“There is an additional quota of eight thousands that was given by the government of Saudi Arabia to the government of Indonesia. We convey our gratitude to Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as they never stop efforts to expand services for pilgrims every year.”
“Hajj is very interesting in 2023, as we have also adopted ‘seniors-friendly’ as a theme,” Hidayat added. “For 3 years, senior pilgrims did not visit Saudi Arabia, and they are only departing in 2023.”
Arab News reported that those flying from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta will be facilitated as per Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative.
The program launched in Muslim-majority nations in 2019 allows pilgrims to fulfill all visa requirements at the airport of origin before and upon reaching the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Hidayat added that traveling to the Kingdom is easier than ever before. “I think this Makkah Route is really helpful,” Hidayat maintained.
