MAKKAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah recently organized a second training program to train workers to serve pilgrims from outside the Kingdom before they travel from their countries. The program will improve the quality of service for pilgrims, facilitate their journeys, and enrich their religious and cultural experience, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030. The training program includes a detailed explanation of pilgrims’ trips, and covers all aspects of performing Hajj and crowd management skills. Hilman Latief, general director of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Indonesia, told Arab News: “This year there will be 221,000 pilgrims journeying to Hajj, which requires tremendous management and preparation.” He added that “we believe there is a true partnership between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, working together to deliver a meaningful experience for Indonesian pilgrims. “Maintaining high-quality standards from preparation to facilitation requires much planning; we have to be able to train and develop our staff, ensuring they are up to date with new regulations issued both in Indonesia and in Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It is a great forward-thinking approach for the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah to provide additional training and induction to our staff. This effort has helped bridge cultural, language, and operational gaps. Identifying where improvements can be made and how we can bridge the missing links in understanding in advance.” Latief highlighted the importance of strengthening commercial and educational relationships. In 2013, Indonesia received the Best Pilgrims in the World Award, issued by the World Hajj and Umrah Convention. The country also has one of the strongest training, induction and preparatory programs, “and with a greater focus from Saudi Arabia, we believe it will make us even better,” Latief said. Diet is a huge factor in pilgrim satisfaction, he added. “Nusantara ingredients should be used, as many of our pilgrims are from villages on different islands. In Hajj, they should consider importing authentic Indonesian ingredients; this is good for service and trade. “We must ensure prices remain as low as possible and affordable. We understand that prices will rise due to inflation and increases in fuel and other commodities. However, we need to do our best to keep prices within a budget that is acceptable for our pilgrims.” He said: “Hajj is important to the Indonesian community. We have a long waiting list and are thinking about how to support the 5.3 million pilgrims in the coming decades. Increased facilities and possibilities for Hajj will help us in fulfilling the needs and desires of our registered pilgrims. “Indonesia has increased its staff capacity and officers, and improved governance and transparency policies, as well as institutional capacities. We have genuine concerns that a large part of our society is aging and the majority of our Hajj enlistees are elderly, we must make a joint concerted effort to make sure more facilities are developed to support the elderly pilgrims.”