Hajj Management Chain Feasibility Post COVID-19

Abstract

As a form of spiritual tourism, the Pilgrimage or Hajj is the fifth core pillar of Islam, which involves the global mass gathering and movement of travelers from around the globe to the holy lands in Saudi Arabia. Hajj event is one of the worldwide hubs of health risk in the COVID-19 era, which suspends or limits this annual event for the past two seasons. Towards dealing with this protracted crisis and ensuring the sustainability of this critical event and its resilience to deal with any future concerns, this chapter discusses Hajj-related COVID-19 threats and realities across the chain of Hajj management. Further, it analyses the future outlook of the interlinked domains of health, logistical, and technology, as it provides the feasible, practical strategies and manifestations for the pre-departure processes, management of pilgrims in the holy lands, and post-return processes. The relevant governments and stakeholders can directly consider these strategies to overcome the current crisis and sustain Hajj in the future.