2023 Hajj Pilgrimage Services in Indonesia Above 90 Percent Ready: Official

Religious Ministry of Saudi Arabia has started taking necessary measures to ensure the readiness of the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage services. With the global pandemic still ongoing, preparations for Hajj require extra precautionary steps to ensure the safety of pilgrims. In this article, we will discuss in detail the steps taken by religious officials to prepare and facilitate the pilgrimage in the upcoming years.


The Ministry of Religious Affairs in Indonesia has confirmed that several services for the 2023 Hajj pilgrimage have been prepared, ensuring that the percentage of Hajj service readiness is above 90%. According to the Director of Hajj Development at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Arsyad Hidayat, the only unfinished contracts are related to prices. He explained that Indonesia has a high bargaining power as it has the largest number of pilgrims; therefore, hotel managements in Saudi Arabia are more inclined to cater to Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia.

Hidayat noted that compared to other Hajj pilgrims, Indonesian Hajj pilgrims do not demand much and are not considered troublemakers. Therefore, hotel managements in Saudi Arabia prefer Indonesian pilgrims as they do not cause problems when services do not align with their expectations. Hidayat revealed that there were instances of Hajj pilgrims from other countries putting oranges down the toilet because they were dissatisfied with the hotel services. In contrast, when a problem arises, Indonesian Hajj pilgrims prefer to report it to officers, who will then convey the matter to the sectoral head of Hajj officers in Saudi Arabia, which will urge the hotel to rectify the problem and use it for evaluation.

Indonesia’s payment scheme for Hajj pilgrims is structured as 50-30-20, where 50% of the hotel costs are paid in advance, 30% when the pilgrims enter the room, and 20% is paid after the pilgrims leave the hotel. Hidayat further explained that when hotel services are inadequate, the 20% cost that has not yet been paid will be cut to only paying 17-18%, depending on the level of mistake.

The Indonesian government refers to the budget agreed upon with the House of Representatives (DPR) for the price of hotels. This year, some 221 thousand Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia will join the pilgrimage, where 203,320 are considered regular Hajj pilgrims who will receive accommodation, catering, and transportation services from the Indonesian government. The first phase of Hajj pilgrim departure to Saudi Arabia will start on May 24, 2023; to ensure the readiness of services such as hotels, food, and transportation, the advance team will depart first.

In conclusion, the Indonesian government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs has taken careful measures in preparing for Hajj pilgrimage in 2023, ensuring that the services provided meet the demands and expectations of Indonesian Hajj pilgrims. The government has also established a structured payment scheme and implemented evaluation measures to rectify inadequate services when necessary, ensuring a successful Hajj pilgrimage experience for all Indonesian pilgrims.