Penalties set for Umrah firms flouting regulations

The Ministry of Haj recently confirmed that Umrah companies that do not follow rules will be closed temporarily, as the government wants to regulate religious tourism to the Kingdom. Authorities will close these establishments for a period of 12, 24 or 48 hours until the owners comply with regulations.

Undersecretary for the Ministry of Haj for Umrah affairs, and director of the ministry’s branch in Jeddah, Abdullah Mirghalani, said any such closures are temporary, to make sure the companies are committed to offering quality services for Umrah pilgrims, and implement the articles of the service contract.

“Closing them down doesn’t mean companies will be out of service permanently, it’s only temporary until the irregularities are fixed. If the violation was major, it will be transferred to the Umrah pilgrims’ complaint committee, and investigated; a fine might be imposed and the ministry will not hesitate to strike out the company,” Mirghalani stated.

The undersecretary added that most of the violations are not intentional, but rather stem from weak coordination with external organizers. “We know these closures add costs to companies but we need them to be committed to offer high quality services to umrah pilgrims,,” he added.

The ministry will not allow Umrah pilgrims to stay in unlicensed accommodations, even if they insist, because of the dangers entailed, while Umrah companies have the right to prevent them from staying in unlicensed lodgings.

According to Mirghalani, since the system was enforced, 18 companies have had to shut down temporarily.