By Akram Medhat
Hesham Amin, head of the Religious Tourism Committee at the caretaker committee of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, told Travel Yalla News that the first meeting of the Higher Committee for Hajj and Umrah in its new formation, approved by the Minister of Tourism a few days ago, will be held tomorrow, Thursday, to discuss the Umrah regulations for the 1439 AH season and announce the date for opening applications for companies wishing to organize 2018 Umrah trips.
It is worth noting that the new formation of the Higher Committee for Hajj and Umrah is chaired by Mohamed Shaalan, First Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism and head of the Companies Sector, with members Mohamed Bakr, director general of inspection at the ministry, and Sobhy Abdel Fattah, director general of tourist transport, representing the administrative authority.
The committee includes representatives of the Chamber of Tourism Companies, namely Hesham Amin, head of the Religious Tourism Committee, Walid Khalil, deputy head of the committee, and Ahmed Ibrahim, a board member of the chamber's caretaker committee.
The 1439 AH Umrah season has not yet opened in Egypt for citizens wishing to perform the rites, due to the delay by the administrative authority, represented by the Ministry of Tourism, in announcing the Umrah regulations that govern the season in terms of the start and end dates of trips and the binding instructions for both parties to the contract (the company and the pilgrim), and that set out several elements guaranteeing a high standard of programmes.
