14Jan2003 Huge response to call for Saudis to work as Hajj guides

Jiddah, 14th January 2003

Scores of young Saudis have taken up the call by government and private organizations for them to work helping pilgrims in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites during the Hajj season, reported Jiddah-based Arab News today.

A new project to guide pilgrims at the holy sites has completed its first training course for around 1,500 young Saudis, who held a graduation ceremony at the Scouts Camp in Jiddah on Sunday. A security company ran the course in collaboration with the Al-Boraq Institute for Travel and Tourism. Col Mohammad Saqqa, General Manager of the project, and a number of senior figures from the Central Hajj Committee were there to mark the group’s graduation.

“The main aim of these projects is to create employment opportunities for Saudi youth, who can experience the additional bonus of helping the guests carry out the service and worship of God,” said Abdullah Hawsawi, Executive Director of the project. The services offered include: escorting pilgrims to buses at the Hajj Terminal and then travelling with them to Madinah, Makkah and the holy sites; helping pilgrims to their camps; locating lost belongings, and ensuring safety and security equipment is operated properly.

The security company is running a system of special shuttles to transfer guides and supervisors from the Hajj Terminal to Madinah, Makkah and the holy sites. Al-Hawsawi explained that the guides are regarded as important representatives of their country.

Source: SPA

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