Tourism companies allowed to advertise Umrah programs without the price of the means of travel
Ministry of Tourism urges citizens not to deal with any brokers, intermediaries or unlicensed entities
Stepped-up monitoring to detect misleading advertisements for Umrah trips on social media and take legal action
Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, has approved the regulations, rules and procedures governing the implementation of Umrah trips for the 1447 AH season, after their preparation was completed by the Higher Committee for Umrah and Hajj, ensuring tight organization and an improved level of services offered to Egyptian Umrah pilgrims.
For her part, Samia Samy, Assistant Minister for Tourism Companies Affairs and Head of the Higher Committee for Umrah and Hajj, noted that the regulations include the rules and procedures governing the work of tourism companies responsible for organizing Umrah trips, and aim to raise the efficiency of organizing these trips and strengthen oversight mechanisms, stressing that implementing these trips is legally restricted to licensed tourism companies only, which prevents interference by brokers or illegitimate entities and protects the rights of both citizens and tourism companies.
She explained that the regulations grant tourism companies the right to authenticate Umrah agency contracts for the new 1447 AH season in accordance with the dates set by the Saudi authorities in this regard, provided there are no outstanding legal violations against the company or previous penalties preventing it from implementing Umrah programs this year.
Samia Samy announced that the most notable new features of this season's regulations are:
Requiring every tourism company wishing to implement Umrah programs to register a minimum of 5 religious tourism supervisors, including one legal representative, instead of only two supervisors as was the case last season, in order to enhance the quality of program supervision and provide the best services to Umrah pilgrims.
Stressing the presence of a primary supervisor for every 50 Umrah pilgrims, who must be accredited and registered with the ministry, which helps improve the service the supervisor provides to pilgrims, along with the obligation to submit return reports within 72 hours of the end of the trip to verify that the company's supervisors accompanied the group on the outbound and return journeys.
The regulations allow tourism companies to advertise Umrah programs without the program price including the cost of the means of travel, whether air, sea or land, in order to avoid any disputes between companies and their clients in the event of instability or increases in travel costs.
Regarding the accommodation of Umrah pilgrims in Mecca and Medina, the regulations stipulate:
Accommodation included in the Umrah program must be approved by the Saudi authorities.
It must be no more than 3,000 meters from the Grand Mosque in Mecca, with transport provided for pilgrims if the distance is 1,250 meters or more.
Accommodation in Medina is permitted provided the residence is no more than 1,200 meters from the courtyard of the Prophet's Mosque, and pilgrims' residences must be on main streets and in an area close to services.
The regulations stressed compliance with the conditions for overland Umrah trips, including that the tourist vehicle used for the trip must be no older than a 2020 model, with its technical fitness verified by the ministry's General Department of Tourist Transport in coordination with the General Traffic Department at the Ministry of Interior, and the application of the technical requirements for drivers.
They also covered the rules governing contracting with tourist shipping agents and airlines.
The regulations also provided for activating an interactive electronic system to measure the quality of the services offered to Umrah pilgrims, by linking all data to the Egyptian Umrah Portal, along with requiring companies issuing visa identification codes to enter accommodation and contact details and travel and return dates on the portal, and to send the pilgrim a text message (SMS) containing the link to the electronic contract and the details of the program agreed between the company and the pilgrim, to ensure that the citizen is informed of all the details of the contracted program.
The regulations require tourism companies to collect the value of Umrah programs in Egyptian pounds only, as well as to submit all health certificates and medical declarations for pilgrims before travel, in implementation of the preventive requirements of the Egyptian and Saudi health ministries.
The regulations also stressed the importance of not dealing with any Saudi agent proven to have committed violations in previous seasons, and full compliance with the official contracts approved by the Saudi and Egyptian authorities, enhancing the transparency of the contractual relationship and protecting the rights of the parties involved.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities calls on all tourism companies organizing Umrah trips to fully comply with all provisions of the 1447 AH Umrah season regulations, in order to preserve the rights and interests of citizens performing Umrah as well as the rights and interests of tourism companies, ensuring that the new Umrah season is of the highest standard and raising the level of service offered to Egyptian Umrah pilgrims, and warning of legal accountability in case of violations.
The ministry also urged citizens not to deal with any brokers, intermediaries or unlicensed entities, and to book Umrah trips only through licensed tourism companies, to ensure the best services for pilgrims and avoid being exposed to scams or fraud.
In light of its supervisory and regulatory role, and in cooperation with the Chamber of Travel and Tourism Companies and Agencies, the ministry is set to launch a broad awareness campaign warning against illegitimate entities and raising citizens' awareness of the need to deal with accredited tourism companies, along with stepping up monitoring to detect misleading advertisements for Umrah trips on social media and taking deterrent legal action against violators, to protect citizens' rights and strictly enforce the law.
Citizens can submit complaints or report illegitimate entities organizing Umrah trips via the Government Complaints Portal, the ministry's hotline (19654), or the email address of the Central Administration for Tourism Companies, [email protected].
