Saudi Arabia has suspended the contracts of 1,800 foreign Umrah travel agencies.

The Saudi Arabian administration has suspended the contracts of 1,800 of the approximately 5,800 foreign travel agencies operating around the holy Umrah. Last Sunday (February 1), the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah announced that the contracts of these foreign travel agencies have been suspended due to deficiencies in the operation of activities and service provision.

The ministry said that a periodic evaluation of the performance and quality of service of foreign travel agencies has been conducted. The evaluation revealed that there was a deficiency in performance and service. In view of this, the ministry has set a time limit of 10 days for the relevant institutions to correct them.

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Hajj and Umrah also said that this regulatory step has been taken to give the institutions an opportunity to correct their own errors to ensure compliance with the approved standards. It was also stated that the contract will be re-enforced if the conditions are met within the specified time.

However, this decision to suspend the contract will not affect passengers who have valid visas and have already booked for the holy Umrah. Their services will continue as before.

In this regard, Ghassan Al-Nawaimi, spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, said, "The ministry will continue to monitor and evaluate the Umrah sector to strengthen its credibility and protect the rights of pilgrims."

Source: Khaleej Times