Umrah Portal executive adviser: The barcode is a basic condition for travel and proof of the validity of the visa and the soundness of the Umrah program
Basel El-Sisi: We launched an awareness campaign warning against brokers... deal only with tourism companies registered on the portal
The Chamber of Tourism Companies has followed media reports about the postponement of the travel of a group of Umrah pilgrims on the first day of Umrah trips yesterday, Monday, and stated that the reason for this measure was that these pilgrims had not obtained their individual barcodes through the Egyptian Umrah Portal.
The chamber urges citizens wishing to perform Umrah to turn to tourism companies to carry out the trip and travel through them. The chamber stresses that the Prime Minister's decree establishing the Egyptian Umrah Portal as the only electronic platform for Umrah trips affirmed that organizing Umrah season programs is restricted to tourism companies, and also included the requirement to issue a barcode for each pilgrim through the contracted company as a basic condition for travel. The chamber also urged pilgrims to confirm with the tourism companies that their barcode has been issued before heading to airports and ports, so that the trip is not postponed until it is issued.
In this context, Basel El-Sisi, vice chairman of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, stressed that the chamber launched an extensive media campaign across all media and social media to raise citizens' awareness of dealing with the Umrah Portal. The campaign urged citizens wishing to perform Umrah not to deal with brokers and middlemen who roam the governorates promoting fake programs at high prices away from tourism companies, and warned that dealing with middlemen will not enable citizens to obtain the "barcode", which is a basic condition for being allowed to travel from airports and land ports.
El-Sisi added that the chamber urged tourism companies to register quickly on the portal, which has already been done, and the procedures have been completed. It also called on them to quickly register their pilgrims' data to issue the barcode for each pilgrim, and the chamber is in contact with all companies to resolve any problems they face.
El-Sisi stressed that the portal will greatly help facilitate procedures and ease travel from ports and airports, noting that there is great satisfaction and praise from companies for dealing through the portal.
For his part, Ahmed Ibrahim, head of the chamber's Religious Tourism Committee and executive adviser and official spokesman of the Egyptian Umrah Portal, explained that the pilgrim's obtaining the "barcode" confirms the validity of the visa, the soundness of the Umrah program and the completion of bookings for travel, transportation and accommodation hotels in Saudi Arabia, and allows the responsible authorities to review the trip details and follow the pilgrim from the time the trip is booked until travel and safe return, and to intervene immediately to resolve any problems they face.
He added that the portal was established to make things easier for citizens and guarantee their rights, and to be the only electronic platform for organizing trips through tourism companies under the supervision of the Ministry of Tourism, noting that the portal has simplified all procedures for citizens, who have the right to choose the company that will organize their trip from among the companies registered on the portal and permitted to organize Umrah trips. He called on citizens wishing to perform Umrah to deal only with the tourism companies registered on the portal, which carry out trips under the full supervision of the Ministry of Tourism and real-time monitoring by the Chamber of Companies, to ensure the success of the season and citizens' rights.
