The Religious Affairs Ministry’s West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) office is prepared to dispatch more than 4,000 pilgrims to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during the upcoming haj season, a senior official at the office said.

NTB Religious Affairs Agency head Nasaruddin said the number of haj pilgrims from the province in 2017 was to be 4,476.

“With Indonesian Haj Management Committee [PPIH] officials, the number of haj delegation members from NTB will be 4,564 people,” said Nasaruddin on Friday.

He said the dispatch of the NTB haj pilgrims would start on Aug. 12, when they would be clustered into 12 flight groups that would depart via Lombok International Airport.

NTB deputy governor Muhammad Amin said he hoped all PPIH officials would give their best service to the haj pilgrims during their pilgrimage to Mecca.

“PPIH officials must be able to serve the NTB haj pilgrims wholeheartedly. Prime services based on sincerity and responsibility will give great motivation to the pilgrims to perform the pilgrimage as good as possible,” said Amin.

According to the Religious Affairs Ministry, the number of Indonesian haj pilgrims this year is to be 221,000 from 34 provinces. The dispatch of Indonesian haj pilgrims will begin on July 28 and their return from Saudi Arabia is scheduled to start on Sept. 6.

The ministry’s Haj and Umrah Management Directorate general secretary, Hasan Faozi, said that every year the government had carried out improvements to haj services.

“We are striving as best as possible to provide quality haj services for all Indonesian people,” he said. (ebf)