Hadj Pilgrimage: Travel agencies exempted of required DZ 200 million centimes and freed of withdrawal of licenses

The National Office for Hajj and Umrah, has scrapped in its newly-drafted book of specifications the option of a withdrawal of the license to failing travel agencies that will be adopted immediately after 3 months from the date of receipt of the license in the event the Umrah or small pilgrimage isn’t duly organized by the latter.

The Office also decided to exempt the relevant agencies from paying in advance the amount of DZ 200 million centimes as collateral in the event of the agencies’ gross lapses in the fulfillment of the clauses of the book of specifications.

A huge controversy followed the launch of the book of specifications by the national Office for the organization of the 2016 Umrah, owing to its coercive provisions.

This ignited the ire of travel agencies, especially in relation to the binding measure pertaining to the issue of payment security, but in view of the uproar spawned by this untoward situation, the National Office headed by Mr Youcef Azouza swiftly reacted by revamping the contentious clauses notably one linked to the payment as a security of DZ 200 million centimes by the agencies involved in the organization of the Umrah or small pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in Mecca and Medina.