UK pilgrims who intend to embark on Hajj in 2023 will use an online platform called Nusuk to arrange their pilgrimage.

This year, the Ministry of Hajj & Umrah has appointed several local companies in Saudi Arabia to organise and provide Hajj packages for pilgrims from Western countries.

Prospective pilgrims will book a package supplied by one of the authorised companies, such as Al-Bait Guests, via Nusuk, the platform approved by the Ministry of Hajj.

Packages will not be sold by any UK company or any foreign company. But some of the major Hajj and Umrah companies in the UK — like Dome Tours, Al-Hidaayah and others — have signed an agreement with Al-Bait Guests to provide support and guidance to UK pilgrims.

Al-Bait Guests is one of the largest Hajj service providers, which has been operating for over 40 years.  

It serves approximately 600,000 Hajj pilgrims, almost one-third of all pilgrims. The group traditionally operated within the South Asian market but now works with operators to serve pilgrims in Western countries.

"The good thing about Al-Bait is we have decades of experience in serving pilgrims and also we have an excellent record. We also share the same values with the pilgrims," Osama Danish, Managing Director of Al-Bait Guests, said on Islam Channel's The Big Ramadan Show recently.  

He added that with this new system, it was important for the company to collaborate with reputable UK partners.  

The role of UK Hajj and umrah companies

Last year's changes to Hajj caused confusion for some and left many people hesitant about going this year.

But Mohammed Naeem from Al-Hidaayah Travel Ltd, one of the UK marketing partners of Al-Bait Guests, said the process should be better for pilgrims this year.  

"Al-Bait Guests are one of the biggest hajj service providers in Saudi Arabia. They normally cater for about one-third of all pilgrims that make Hajj so they're one of the big players there," he told the Big Ramadan Show.

"I think the fact that some of the major hajj companies [from the UK] are coming on board with Al-Bait Guests should give UK pilgrims some confidence that inshallah they'll get a much better experience," said Mohammed.

"These companies that have partnered with Al-Bait Guests will be providing a lot of support before pilgrims go, like seminars, training and education, which I think will put the Hujaj in a much better place in terms of the hajj experience."

Naeem said Al-Bait is working with its UK partners to ensure that there are experienced UK guides with the pilgrims throughout the Hajj process. These partners will also provide the pre-Hajj seminars and talks that prepare the pilgrims for the hajj.  

What kind of packages will be on offer?

Al Bait Guests will offer a variety of Hajj packages that will suit a range of budgets:

• Non-Shifting
• Shifting

The duration of the packages on offer will be:

• 10 days
• 14 days
• 18 days

Accommodation & Flights:

• Double, Triple and Quad occupancy
• Range of quality hotels in Makkah & Madinah

Services in Mina:

• Tents in European camps (Moaisem)
• Tents in the VIP European camps (Majr al-Kabsh)

Watch the episode of the Big Ramadan Show that talked about this year's Hajj process

Further package details will be available on the Al-Bait Guests website very soon.