‘Resentment’, ‘disputes’ as Indian tour operators foresee huge losses due to Saudi umrah travel ban
Saudi Arabia’s sudden move on Thursday (Feb 27) to temporarily suspend entry of umrah pilgrims as a measure to prevent the COVID-19 from reaching the country is sending India’s umrah sector into a tailspin.
All India Haj Umrah Tour Organisers Association (AIHUTOA) told Salaam Gateway there is a lot of “resentment” among many tour operators that they have to go through mental and financial stress due to the sudden decision.
“We know the Saudi government is doing this for safety reasons, but as far as I know there hasn’t been any case of coronavirus [in Saudi] yet. They could have done this in a time-bound manner by intimating that they will be stopping the entry in the next seven days, or 15 days or so,” said AIHUTOA chairperson Shoukat Ibrahim Tamboli.
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