Saudi Arabia has not yet made a final decision on the cancellation of Hajj travel, scheduled for late July, but local Hajj operators are preparing for the enormous task that will come with the announcement of cancellation or a reduction in the SA quota.
The kingdom suspended the year-round Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, due to the quick spread of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia in March but has yet to convey a decision about Hajj.
The South African Hajj and Umrah council (SAHUC) has guaranteed that all travellers accredited for Hajj travel through the council would have their R1 500 accreditation fee returned to them in the event they were unable to travel due to Saudi protocol, Moaaz Casoo, SAHUC secretary general told Travel News.
He says SAHUC is in constant consultation with local Hajj operators to prepare for two possible outcomes— if Hajj is disallowed by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or if the national quota is reduced.
“South Africa’s quota is 3 500 people and so we, the local Hajj agents and operators, will have to deal with the possible cancellation of everything involved with 3 500 bookings,” says Imtiaz Malek, md of Sure Mirage Travel.
Imtiaz says he doesn’t foresee that Hajj will go ahead this year. “There is one crucial factor in all this deliberation about the viability of Hajj – how the spread of COVID-19 will be contained in a convergence of three and a half million people in one location,” he told Travel News.
“Between 40% and 60% of the contracts were finalised with suppliers for things like accommodation and transportation many months ago. If Hajj is cancelled, those contracts will have to be rescinded and I’m not certain that we will receive cash refunds. It’s likely that suppliers will ask us to carry over the contracts for the next Hajj.”
Imtiaz says South African agents usually sell Hajj in five- or six-week packages and some of the first departures booked via his company are on June 26.
