Ensuring travel companies comply with the approved programs signed with Umrah pilgrims
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, in coordination and cooperation with the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, is preparing to raise its readiness to the maximum level in line with the peak of Umrah trips during the holy month of Ramadan for the 1447 AH-2026 season. This comes as part of the state's keenness on the comfort and safety of Egyptian Umrah pilgrims, protecting their rights and ensuring the season runs smoothly.
Committees and working groups of Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities inspectors have been formed inside Egypt and in Saudi Arabia, in addition to follow-up teams at Egyptian, Saudi and Jordanian ports of entry, seaports and airports. These committees will work 24 hours a day to monitor departures and arrivals and intervene immediately to solve any problems Umrah pilgrims may face.
Intensive Umrah trips began in mid-Shaaban, and all the necessary organizational measures have been taken to ensure trips run regularly by land and air, and to make sure travel companies comply with the approved programs signed with Umrah pilgrims, with strict emphasis on preventing pilgrims from being housed in unauthorized areas in accordance with the regulating rules.
In this context, Samia Samy, Assistant Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for Travel Companies Affairs and Head of the Higher Committee for Hajj and Umrah, submits regular reports to Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, on the conditions of Umrah pilgrims and the progress of trips as they happen, while the minister follows the regularity of the season around the clock, directing the companies sector and the Higher Committee for Hajj and Umrah to make every effort to provide full comfort and care for the pilgrims.
The Head of the Higher Committee for Hajj and Umrah praised the close and distinguished cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and its keenness to serve the interests of the Guests of Al-Rahman and remove all obstacles to their performing Umrah rituals, as well as the extensive cooperation between the ministry and the Chamber of Tourism Companies, represented by the chamber's Religious Tourism Committee. She stressed that this cooperation continues throughout the season, with everyone working as one team under the direct supervision and full oversight of the ministry to ensure the comfort and safety of Egyptian pilgrims.
The follow-up committees are deployed in Makkah, Madinah and at the airports and ports of entry where Umrah pilgrims are present, working around the clock to monitor the implementation of tour programs, inspect accommodation and hotels, and hear pilgrims' complaints and resolve them immediately.
In a related context, a direct link system has been set up between all field committees and the Hajj and Umrah operations room in Cairo to monitor pilgrims' movements in real time and ensure their safety from the moment they leave Egyptian territory until they return safely home.
Samia Samy has instructed the committees to intervene immediately in any problems related to accommodation or the level of services. Over the past few days, two companies were obliged to provide alternative accommodation matching the level agreed with the pilgrims, at the two companies' expense, after a violation was detected. All strict measures will be taken and the penalties stipulated in the rules regulating the season will be imposed, to protect citizens' rights.
The committees are scheduled to continue working until the last Egyptian Umrah pilgrim returns home, ensuring the Ramadan Umrah season is organized and safe in a way befitting citizens. The Chamber of Tourism Companies confirms that the initial reports of the follow-up committees revealed strong compliance by Umrah trip organizers with the approved programs, with only a limited number of problems detected and dealt with immediately in coordination with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, stressing the companies' keenness to comply in order to protect their reputation and implement the Umrah regulations.
