Jeddah, August 22, 2025 , Saudi Arabia has taken a major stride toward modernizing religious tourism with the launch of Nusuk Umrah, an advanced digital platform designed to simplify the Umrah pilgrimage for international visitors. The platform was officially introduced on August 20, 2025, by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah as part of its broader Vision 2030 initiative to enhance accessibility and elevate service quality in religious tourism.
Accessible via umrah.nusuk.sa, Nusuk Umrah serves as a one-stop portal allowing pilgrims from around the globe to apply for visas, and book accommodation, transportation, guided tours, and other support services, all without the need for intermediaries. Pilgrims can choose between integrated packages or fully customized itineraries, providing flexibility that caters to individuals’ preferences and needs.
The platform boasts a user-friendly interface available in seven languages, supports multiple payment options, and is fully integrated with government systems to ensure a seamless digital experience from visa processing to booking confirmations. Through this integration, the platform aims to minimize bottlenecks and offer pilgrims greater transparency and convenience.
Nusuk Umrah is intended to complement, not replace, traditional pilgrimage arrangements handled by accredited travel agents. It offers accredited agencies’ listings alongside the DIY booking route, giving pilgrims the choice between self-service or guided assistance.
This launch further underlines Saudi Arabia’s commitment to Vision 2030, which outlines a transformation of the Kingdom’s economy away from oil dependency and emphasizes development in sectors like religious tourism. The government aims to welcome increasing numbers of pilgrims while maintaining high standards of comfort, safety, and spiritual engagement.
According to official statistics, as of July 31, 2025, over 1.2 million pilgrims from 109 countries had arrived for Umrah since the season began on June 11. These figures reflect growing global interest in the pilgrimage, demanding streamlined and scalable solutions like Nusuk Umrah to manage the influx effectively.
Nusuk Umrah is part of a larger digital transformation in Saudi’s pilgrimage infrastructure. Previous innovations such as the Makkah Route Initiative, which moves immigration procedures to departure airports, and regulatory enhancements through Nusuk Masar, requiring approved hotel bookings for visa eligibility, have heightened operational efficiency and pilgrims’ safety.
By providing a unified, digital-first, and pilgrim-centric solution, Nusuk Umrah marks a departure from fragmented traditional methods to a streamlined, modern experience. Whether pilgrims choose to self-manage their itinerary or work with agents, the platform brings unprecedented flexibility and transparency to planning the sacred journey, a move that mirrors rising expectations for convenience in religious travel.
As Saudi Arabia continues to invest in digital transformation and expand its pilgrimage infrastructure, Nusuk Umrah may well become the blueprint for modern religious tourism.
