IDENTIFYING KEY CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN CROWD MANAGEMENT DURING HAJJ EVENT IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The Hajj is the major gathering of Muslims from all around the world. Saudi Arabia provides several services to facilitate the Hajj and Umrah rites. Additionally, it strives to make the Hajj season more prosperous each year. Nonetheless, Hajj agencies and pilgrims continue to face hurdles, such as crowding issues, managing and planning campaigns, and communication difficulties between organizers and pilgrims. This study article demonstrates the challenges agencies and pilgrims experience and how these difficulties impact the overall management of crowds throughout the Hajj season. Utilizing a questionnaire, 321 pilgrims and 17 agencies that facilitate Umrah and Hajj activities provided data. The acquired data were further examined using descriptive statistics. The researcher interviewed two Hajj and Umrah service specialists to gain a deeper understanding. In the concluding section of the study, significant results and consequences for practitioners are offered