The South African Hajj and Umrah Council (SAHUC) has announced a significant policy shift from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, impacting all accredited travel agents operating as Hajj operators.
Starting in 2025, operators will be required to contract a minimum of 500 pilgrims to be accredited as a Hajj operator and offer travel packages for Hajj.
Hassan Choonara, SAHUC’s secretary general, said: “SAHUC has engaged the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah and appealed this new requirement, however we have been informed by the relevant authorities that this new policy is a directive across the globe for all operators facilitating Hajj.”
The new policy raises concerns about the implications for South African travel agents. Ahmed Khan, manager at Travel and Tours World, said: “We have received written notification from the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, there is still more details to clarify. This new minimum quota of 500 pilgrims per operator does not reduce the national quota of 2500 pilgrims it does mean that only five operators will be accredited for Hajj. To reach 500 pilgrims will be quite a challenge for many operators to achieve, hopefully these challenges and others will be resolved in upcoming meetings.”
Abdurrahmaan Hunter, a travel consultant at World of Travel, expressed uncertainty: “We are still in the early stages of the change and at this point are unsure what the final process will look like and will not know more until they outline the procedure. However, last Hajj the quota was 100 pilgrims and before that 50 pilgrims. In light of this I think many agencies that are used to taking less than 500 every year will struggle to meet this requirement. In previous years we were not allowed to merge groups, if one operator had 200 people, another 250 people and another 50, we could not merge them into one group. It remains to be seen if that changes under the new policy.”
Choonara said: “Further information and a way forward will be discussed and deliberated in the upcoming weeks. SAHUC assures the Muslim community of South Africa that we are doing everything possible to ensure a smooth and beneficial Hajj journey to one and all in the foreseeable future.”
As the industry navigates these changes, operators are urged to stay informed and prepared for the challenges ahead.
