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South Africa and Saudi Arabia are strengthening ties around Hajj and Umrah travel, tourism and aviation, with plans for more direct flights, joint marketing, digital visa access and a working group to improve the pilgrim experience.
By ANWAR OMAR
South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, hosted Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah, HE Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, during an official visit aimed at strengthening cooperation between the two nations and improving the experience of South African pilgrims travelling to the Kingdom in Pretoria on Wednesday, September 9, 2026.
A growing relationship
The visit also included South Africa’s Deputy Minister for Skills Development, reflecting the broader scope of the engagement. Speaking to the media, Minister de Lille said she was “so happy to welcome the Minister from Saudi Arabia for Hajj and Umrah and also the Deputy Minister for Skills Development”, pointing to the countries’ “long relationship, historic relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”. She noted that over the years, thousands of South African Muslims travelling to Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage have built lasting relationships between the two nations, and that tourism exchange between them is “really growing”.
The visit centred on how both countries can better serve the thousands of South African Muslims who travel each year for Hajj and Umrah. Minister de Lille described the engagement as an opportunity to build a broader tourism relationship benefiting travellers and the tourism economies of both nations, noting that South African Tourism plans to develop seasonal packages to market to Saudi travellers. As she put it, the importance of the visit lies in building on an existing relationship that still has “potential to grow”.
The numbers underline the momentum behind this relationship. Around 56 000 South Africans travelled to Saudi Arabia for Umrah last year, a 10% increase on the previous year. Meanwhile, arrivals from Saudi Arabia to South Africa have grown sharply, rising from 5 461 in 2021 to 24 942 in 2025.
Smoothing the sacred journey
Minister Al-Rabiah’s visit gave him the chance to meet directly with tourism sector representatives and hear their perspectives on the challenges facing South African pilgrims and Umrah visitors. Discussions covered several practical areas:
- Facilitating the journey of pilgrims and Umrah visitors
- Supporting the shift towards digital services
- Strengthening coordination with tour operators
- Finding practical solutions to existing challenges
Concrete outcomes
The two sides agreed to establish a joint working group to follow up on recommendations from the meetings and continue strengthening bilateral cooperation. They also agreed to encourage airlines in both countries to explore increasing flight frequencies, a move intended to ease travel for pilgrims, Umrah visitors and other travellers while improving overall connectivity between the two countries.
Beyond travel logistics, the ministers explored opportunities for closer cooperation across the wider tourism sector, including destination promotion, skills development and showcasing South Africa’s Islamic heritage and halaal tourism offerings.
New direct flights and joint marketing
Minister de Lille outlined specific plans emerging from the visit. The two countries will work towards securing more direct flights between Saudi Arabia and South Africa: one route for commercial purposes into Johannesburg, and another into Cape Town aimed specifically at travellers going for Hajj and Umrah. She said these routes are currently under discussion.
The countries will also pursue joint marketing efforts, working with various tour operators to market both Saudi Arabia and South Africa together as destinations.
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Visa-free digital access for Saudi travellers
Minister de Lille highlighted that Saudi Arabia is among the first 30 countries where South Africa’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA) system has gone live. This means Saudi nationals can now apply for a South African visa “from the comfort of their homes, on their phones”, a fully paperless process that no longer requires a visit to a South African mission. Applicants submit one application and receive a decision in a turnaround time of under 24 hours. Minister de Lille said this digital access, alongside the push for more flights, was central to the discussions between the two countries.
The path ahead
Both ministers framed the visit as part of a longer-term effort to deepen ties. Minister Al-Rabiah emphasised listening to the needs of pilgrims and service providers to make the journey “more accessible, seamless and enriching”, while Minister de Lille pointed to the historic connection between the two countries as a foundation for continued growth in two-way travel.
The visit forms part of ongoing efforts by South Africa and Saudi Arabia to deepen cooperation, strengthen people-to-people ties and continuously enhance the experience of South African pilgrims and Umrah visitors.
Photos and videos supplied by Aldrin Sampear, spokesperson for the Department of Tourism, South Africa
