RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has suspended contracts of 1,800 foreign travel agencies due to poor service standards, foreign media reported.
These agencies are a significant portion of the total 5,800 travel agencies currently operating in the Umrah sector.
According to the ministry, the decision was taken after a periodic evaluation, which revealed serious performance issues and service shortcomings in multiple agencies.
The development is being seen as an important update for pilgrims planning to travel for Umrah in the coming days.
Ministry spokesperson Ghassan Al-Nuaimi said the affected agencies have been given 10 days to fix the identified issues.
He clarified that the suspension will currently apply only to the issuance of new Umrah visas, while further action will depend on compliance and improvements.