By Akram Medhat
MP Sahar Talaat Mostafa, a member of the House of Representatives, said that the recent developments in Saudi Arabia's system for issuing Umrah visas, which have made them electronic for those who apply online and have a hotel booking and means of travel, will have negative repercussions on the Umrah market in Egypt and on the rights of Umrah pilgrims and tourism companies in the absence of mechanisms that deal with the new reality. She noted that development and the use of technology have become a reality whose mechanisms must be dealt with.
She explained in statements that the absence of mechanisms means confusion in the organization of the Umrah market and the presence of informal, unlicensed entities operating in the market outside the formal economy, which will also lead to their not paying taxes, requiring the situation to be addressed swiftly through carefully considered steps.
She stressed the need to hold a hearing for representatives of the private tourism sector and representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, and proposed establishing an electronic Umrah platform under the umbrella of the state, which would define the licensed tourism companies dealing with it and serve as the legitimate channel for organizing Umrah programs. A protocol or agreement would be signed with the Saudi side to regulate online operations, ensuring that there are no intruders in the tourism profession, guaranteeing the rights and comfort of Egyptian Umrah pilgrims while they perform the rituals, and ensuring that the state collects the prescribed fees and taxes and that Umrah trip programs do not slip into the informal economy.
