Using Blockchain Technology to Manage Hajj and Umrah

Blockchain is a disruptive technology, particularly because it provided the basis for Bitcoin, followed by other cryptocurrencies. The use of a blockchain is not limited to cryptocurrencies only. The technology can be used for creating and maintaining records of all sorts of financial, business, economic, and marketing transactions. Some of the most appealing properties of blockchain are transparency, disintermediation, and security. In this paper, we have reviewed and provided different properties and applications provided by blockchain to manage some important functions and activities of the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. These pilgrimages take place in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, and performed by millions of pilgrims from different parts of the world. In doing so, we have also provided a brief background, properties, and applications of blockchain in different domains. The findings, after analyzing various aspects of blockchain provided in this paper, suggest that the technology is highly desirable and bernificial in improving several management tasks of Hajj and Umrah.