Eight Saudi travel agencies have been closed by Saudi authorities and 153 Egyptian travel agencies that once worked with them are now left searching for alternatives to continue the Umrah programs.
Non-official estimates of losses stated by members at the Egyptian Travel Agents Association’s general assembly are at LE150 million.
Basel al-Sisi, head of the ETAA’s religious tourism committee, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that both the committee and the ministry are working on finding solutions to end the crisis.
Efforts made to resolve the issue must consider the agencies' rights as well as the pilgrims. Additionally, the committments made by the companies to the clients must be respected, Sisi said, expecting the crisis to end after Saudi authorities provide an alternative.
Meanwhile, sources from the Tourism Ministry said the crisis could lead to huge losses for the agencies during the seasons of Shaaban and Ramadan hijri months, which could prevent some from fulfilling commitments if the crisis were to continue.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
