Cairo: The Egyptian government has decided to revoke licences of 36 more travel agencies after they were found to have been involved in violations of laws linked to trips for the Hajj or the annual Islamic pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, state media reported.
These companies had organised illegal trips for unregistered Egyptian pilgrims during the past Hajj season by sending them on visit visas whose holders are not officially permitted to perform the pilgrimage rites in and around the Saudi city of Mecca.
The licence revocations come in implementation of decisions taken by an adhoc government taskforce led by Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly assigned looking into Egyptian deaths that occurred during the past Hajj season.
Egyptian Tourism Minister Sherif Fathy has directed expediting investigations with travel companies suspected of committing violations related to Hajj and Umrah or lesser pilgrimage trips, Egyptian officials said.
In late June, the Egyptian government said it would strip 16 travel agencies of their licences for involvement in arranging illegal trips for unregistered pilgrims after the reported deaths of hundreds of them in the Hajj.
The Hajj that took place in June coincided with scorching heat. Saudi Arabia said over 1,300 pilgrims, mostly undocumented, died after trekking for long distances under the sun.
Saudi authorities have repeatedly said a Hajj visa is mandatory to perform the pilgrimage and cracked down on fake tours. The cost of a visit visa-based pilgrimage journey is lower than that of an official trip for Hajj.
Hajj is one of Islam’s five obligatory duties. Muslims, who can physically and financially afford Hajj, have to perform it at least once in a lifetime.
