The unexpected ban imposed by the Saudi Arabian government on Umra pilgrims in the wake of the COVID-19 threat will hit the travel industry across the country hard.
Particularly vulnerable are the 4,000-odd travel agents in the country and the airlines that operate services to Jeddah.
The Saudi ban came at a time when Umra travel from Kerala was set to peak in the summer vacation and Ramzan. With the school vacation in Kerala set to begin on April 1 and the holy month of Ramzan set to start on April 24, all airlines have already sold out their Umra tickets to Jeddah.
“We do not know what is going to happen. It will depend on how long the pilgrim ban continues,” said Abdul Rasheed N., a leading travel agent and joint secretary of the Kerala Umra Welfare Association (KUWA).
Uncertainty over refund
Travel agents and pilgrims alike are worried about the refund policies the airlines are going to adopt in the wake of the ban. Sources in Air India and Saudi Arabian Airlines said it was too early to give a definite answer.
Figures indicate that about 600 pilgrims from Kerala are going to Jeddah every day for Umra. When 350 of them are from Karipur, 150 are from Nedumbassery and 100 from Thiruvananthapuram. The Umra services take place five days a week on an average. Umra pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia takes place from the month of Muharram to Shawwal.
The recent increase in the Umra visa stamping fee too has been a huge worry for the pilgrims.
Until last year, the fee for Umra visa was only ₹2,500. Now that the fee has increased to ₹15,000, thousands of pilgrims who have geared themselves up to the pilgrimage are worried to lose their money.
Unlike other visas, Umra pilgrim visa has a validity of only 15 days. The pilgrims will lose their money if they cannot travel within 15 days. “At present, none can say when the Saudi government will lift the ban,” said M.P. Mohammed, a travel agent from Malappuram.
The travel industry is heavily dependent on Umra pilgrimage for their survival in Kerala. “It is Umra pilgrimage that gives the airlines and the travel agents some profit. The current ban will hit us all badly,” said Mr. Rasheed. The recent expansion of facilities in Makkah too had given high hopes for the travel industry. The Tawaf capacity of the Umra pilgrims at a time was almost doubled in the recent expansion of the Masjidul Haram.