Depreciation leads to drop in Umrah rates, change in rules

CAIRO - 13 March 2017: The rules for performing Umrah, the lesser pilgrimage, changed this year due to the Egyptian pound’s depreciation against the dollar, Chairman of the Egyptian Chamber of Travel and Tourism Agencies Basil al-Sisi

said in a TV interview Monday with “Sabah al-Balad.”

Sisi added that Umrah season will begin in Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar, instead of after Hajj season.

He also said the chamber will present various Umrah programs to suit different financial abilities of Egyptians, adding that the existence of unlicensed tourism companies is harming pilgrims and licensed companies.

Al-Sisi stressed that pilgrims must check the validity of any tourism company before dealing with it, lest he get scammed.

He noted as well that demands for Umrah plummeted 60 percent compared to previous years, confirming that the priority of performing Umrah has dropped significantly, particularly because of the current economic crisis and price hikes.