MADINAH, 18 March 2007 — The Haj Ministry is expected to unveil shortly more measures to regulate Umrah service providers. The ministry announced this after detailed studies about problems faced by the Umrah service industry as well as the pilgrims over the past several years.
The new regulations stipulate that SR650 will be the minimum fee that the service providers can charge a pilgrim, according to a reliable industry source.
The number of Umrah pilgrims and visitors to Madinah is expected to cross the four-million mark this year, the source said.
Saad Al-Qarshi and Ibrahim Sabiq, who run Umrah service establishments in Madinah, consider that the new regulations would make a qualitative shift in their service besides ending the monopoly of foreign operators.
They pointed out that the Haj Ministry and other related agencies strive to improve the safety and comfort of the pilgrims every year on the basis of the experience gained over the years. They said the new regulations would end foul play by some companies in the sector.
The regulations stipulate that renewal of the license for the Umrah service providers would be linked to the quality of performance in the past along with financial and administrative potentials.
The Umrah regulations introduced a few years ago have led to a 95 percent drop in the number of squatters and a 35 percent drop in the number of overstayers, according to several studies.
Since the implementation of the Umrah regulations six years ago, the number of visitors and Umrah pilgrims increased to an annual average of three million from just 500,000 before the implementation.
The regulations were also instrumental in boosting commercial activity in the holy cities with the annual turnover from Umrah-related businesses averaging at SR9 billion. The regulations, which have permitted year-round Umrah, increased remarkably the employment opportunities for the Saudis in hotels, residential apartments, transportation, restaurants and several other areas.
The sources said foreign Umrah operators resent the new regulations and try to undermine them because their activities have been restricted, as all the operations have to be undertaken by licensed Umrah organizers in the Kingdom. Only travel agents registered with Saudi Haj authorities can apply for Umrah visas abroad, the source said.
