RIYADH — As of Wednesday, more than 860,000 Hajj pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia from all around the world, according to Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah. “Out of these pilgrims, an overwhelming majority of 820,000 arrived by air, including 240,000 through the Makkah Route Initiative while 35,000 reached via land borders and 4,000 by sea,” he said. Al-Rabiah made the remarks while addressing the 34th government press conference in Riyadh on Wednesday. “Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, continues to dedicate all resources to ensure pilgrims perform their rituals in ease and comfort,” he said.Explaining the preparations for Hajj 2026, the minister stated that the Hajj and Umrah sector has witnessed a qualitative leap through the implementation of more than 100 initiatives to improve service quality and enhance the overall pilgrim experience in line with Saudi Vision 2030. “To improve the quality of services and foster competition, the ministry has enabled over 30 companies to offer services to pilgrims from abroad, in addition to offering direct booking services to pilgrims from 126 countries through the Nusuk digital platform. This system operates with seamless institutional integration among more than 60 governmental entities, overseen by the Hajj Project Management Office (Hajj PMO) of the Pilgrim Experience Program under the supervision of the Supreme Hajj Committee,” he said. Al-Rabia said that innovations such as the "Hajj Without Luggage" initiative have revolutionized logistics this year, allowing pilgrims to ship luggage directly to their residences, which has reduced airport procedures from 120 minutes to just 15 minutes. The Nusuk application continues to solidify its role as a global platform, serving over 51 million users with more than 130 Hajj-related digital services. Furthermore, the ministry has strengthened international coordination by signing Hajj agreements with 78 countries and standardizing procedures with various Hajj affairs offices worldwide.In terms of infrastructure, the Royal Commission for Makkah City and the Holy Sites has implemented 25 development projects, marking a 100 percent increase over last year. These include shading and cooling systems for 272,000 square meters surrounding Mount Arafat and the expansion of pedestrian walkways and rest areas.He added that Kidana Development Company increased capacity by implementing a 24,000-square-meter housing project across two strategic locations in Mina to enhance infrastructure efficiency and the pilgrim experience as part of early preparations for the 2026 Hajj season. The green sites initiative has seen the planting of 60,000 trees.The minister said that the General Transport Center further supports this through a 24-hour central control room managing a vast bus fleet and shuttle services, ensuring the synchronized movement of pilgrims to the Mashair Metro Line and the Jamarat. Al-Rabia noted that oversight and quality control have been intensified with more than 50,000 inspection tours conducted since mid-Shawwal to verify service standards. The General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque has enhanced its guidance systems with 3D maps and multilingual screens, while the Arafat sermon will be translated into 50 languages to enrich the spiritual experience.The minister stated that the daily capacity of the Rawdah Al-Sharif at the Prophet's Mosque has surged from 15,000 to approximately 57,000 visitors, contributing to an increase in satisfaction levels from 57 percent in 2022 to 88 percent in 2025. He commended the Ministry of Interior for the success of the "No Hajj Without a Permit" campaign and thanked friendly nations for their cooperation in curbing unregulated Hajj campaigns to ensure the safety of all pilgrims.