People intending to go for Umrah during Ramadan are urged to be careful as some tour operators have reportedly failed to provide proper transport and accommodation in the two holy cities. With the increased number of people wishing to perform Umrah during Ramadan, more than 150 tour operators located in different districts of Riyadh are currently taking bookings from thousands of pilgrims on a daily basis. However, those pilgrims who used the services of certain tour operators have warned others, particularly those traveling with families that include small children, to be cautious and prepare for the worst while in Makkah, as some tour operators have failed to provide promised accommodation. Thousands of people were stranded in Makkah without accommodation last week after a tour operator abandoned them on the streets. Criticism of the performance of Umrah operators has since then increased and people have urged the Saudi authorities to monitor packaged tour operators who reportedly renege on their promises causing suffering to pilgrims and their families. Abdul Munaf, a Bangladeshi expatriate said he could not believe it when the driver of his Umrah tour bus asked the passengers to leave the bus on a Makkah street at about 4 A.M. “The bus driver was supposed to take the intending pilgrims to hotel accommodation,” he said. He said it was a horrible scene when families with small children, some of them toddlers, had to look for accommodation. He added that finding hotel accommodation in Makkah at this peak time of the year was next to impossible. Some pilgrims donned in Ihram (two pieces of white cloth worn by Umrah and Haj pilgrims) took shelter within the Grand Mosque while others spent their time on the streets. “Can you imagine that people had to search for accommodation while they were fasting and enduring the hot and humid climate in Makkah?” he asked. Qadir Mirza, a Pakistani national, said that it was time for the authorities to intervene and strictly monitor Umrah tours, which have grown in size and become an industry. Abdullah Al-Shammary, a Saudi, said he had had a bad experience when a tour operator offered him accommodation that was far from the Grand Mosque and in a poorly maintained apartment. “When I made the reservation, the tour operator assured me that I would receive five-star hotel accommodation and in close proximity to the Grand Mosque,” he said. Al-Shammary said that, in his opinion, tour operators, both Saudis and non-Saudis, are unmanageable and have no regrets when they fail to deliver the services that they have promised pilgrims. “It is simply because they are not accountable to anybody,” he said. Pilgrims say that Umrah tour operators, once considered to offer excellent services that included five-star accommodation and comfortable transport to the holy cities and back to Riyadh, are fast losing their credibility. The drivers of most of the tour operators have deals with isteraha (rest houses), and stop at only designated stations for food. “The toilets stink and the food offered at these isteraha is substandard,” said Al-Shammary. “Most of the toilets have no tap water and people have to buy bottled water to make ablution,” he said. Abdurrahman, another pilgrim, said his family suffered a lot after the air-conditioning system of their tour bus stopped working. “The tour operator assured me of good transport in a brand new bus and accommodation about 500 meters from the Grand Mosque,” he said. “However,” he added, “the bus was not new and the accommodation that he provided was not close to the Haram.” Expatriate groups on the Internet are circulating emails informing others about the misconduct of tour operators. “I traveled to Makkah in the first week of Ramadan and unfortunately the bus driver was ill-mannered and stopped the vehicle whenever he wanted and for different lengths of time causing delays in performing Umrah and other obligatory prayers at the Grand Mosque,” said one Internet posting. He added that what was worse, was that the driver on the return journey to Riyadh refused to stop the bus to allow people to take Suhoor. “This behavior of the driver was an eye opener and a warning that people should keep some food with them in case they find themselves in a similar situation,” he said. Based on the bad experience they had, some people on the Internet urged others to blacklist certain tour operators and refuse to travel with them. “This is the only way we can teach them a lesson, which might force them to abide by the rules or else lose business,” one person said. ?He said he had met several people who faced hardship when their tour operator “dumped them” on a street in Makkah. “I am forwarding this email after speaking to the manager of the tour company who expressed his regrets and urged people to forgive the mistakes committed by the driver,” he added.
