Muscat: The award, presented by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, recognises excellence in serving pilgrims and aims to encourage competition among Hajj affairs offices while raising service quality standards across the Islamic world.

The Omani Hajj Mission secured the Silver Award under the Regional Awards Track after achieving high scores in several performance indicators, including operational efficiency, quality of field services, awareness and guidance programmes, crowd management, compliance with organisational and health regulations, and the implementation of initiatives that enhanced the overall pilgrimage experience.

The award evaluation process included strict criteria such as office performance, pilgrim satisfaction levels, compliance with regulations and instructions, as well as awareness and quality improvement programmes.

His Excellency Ahmed bin Saleh Al-Rashidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs and Head of the Omani Hajj Mission, said the achievement reflects the collective efforts of the mission’s teams and Oman’s commitment to providing pilgrims with services that meet the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

He noted that the recognition serves as motivation to continue developing and innovating service delivery systems to further improve the experience of Omani pilgrims and facilitate the performance of Hajj rituals.

Speaking to the Oman News Agency, H.E. Al-Rashidi highlighted the importance of ongoing cooperation with Saudi authorities and praised the efforts of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and service providers in continuously enhancing the Hajj ecosystem.

He expressed hope that future seasons would see further expansion of quality initiatives, greater digital transformation, and improved workforce capabilities to keep pace with developments in pilgrim services and provide a smoother, safer and more reassuring Hajj experience.

H.E. Al-Rashidi also reaffirmed the mission’s commitment to adopting best practices, strengthening partnerships with relevant stakeholders and achieving even higher levels of pilgrim satisfaction, while reflecting Oman’s dedication to serving the Guests of God with excellence.