Ministry of Hajj declares three year moratorium on the appointment of any new travel agencies abroad

The Ministry of Hajj has made it clear that, for a period of three years (starting August 2007), it will not accept any new applications from tourist companies and other agencies abroad for approved status as organisers of pilgrimages.

This decision has been prompted by the need to control the number of pilgrims each year for safety reasons, to avoid problems with crowd control and to avoid excessive congestion on the roads around the Holy Places.

It is also the case that the Ministry and its branches in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Jeddah Governorate have been inundated with applications from tourist companies, agencies and charitable societies seeking new licences for the right to organise pilgrim travel from outside the Kingdom.