Revealing the Reasons for Umrah failure
Sudan Events – Rehab Abdullah
The Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Dr. Osama Hassan Al-Bathani, attributed the tightening of procedures related to obtaining an Umrah visa to the pilgrims staying behind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia well after they performed the Hajj and were supposed to return back home .
He said in an interview with the Sudan News Agency that he discussed the Umrah issue with the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq Al-Rabaya, indicating that the Saudi authorities introduced the Koura system to grant new visas due to the failure of Umrah pilgrims.
He explained that Umrah is the responsibility of travel and tourism agencies and that the ministry’s responsibility is to approve the agencies after they meet the conditions, but he said we are communicating with the Union of Travel and Tourism Agencies about confirming their commitment to providing Umrah services.
He pointed out that there is a virtual application for Umrah via the Internet and that a large percentage of it is carried out by Saudi companies, stressing that 90% of those who defaulted are those who applied online.