Over 130 firms seek to offer OTA services for Hajj: official

More than 130 companies have submitted applications to become registered online travel agents (OTA) for Hajj and Umrah, a senior Saudi ministry official told Argaam on Sunday.

“We now have more than 130 requests from across the globe, but we will filter this number as per our evaluation criteria since these OTAs will be our interface,” Abdulrahman Fahad Shams, Hajj and Umrah Minister advisor, said on the sidelines of Gitex Technology Week in Dubai.

Currently, the ministry has signed OTAs with Agoda and holidayme. It is expected to meet other companies who have applied for OTAs during Gitex.

The OTAs will be the ministry’s interface with the pilgrims, which will allow them to book packages and get e-visas in matter of minutes, Shams added.

While the OTAs will be allowed to create their “own” packages, visas will not be issued unless the pilgrim provides a booking at a registered hotel.

“Though the OTAs can register any hotel, but if pilgrims want the visa they will have to choose from the approved list of hotels,” he further explained.

In September, King Salman issued a royal decree pertaining to the cancellation of repeat Umrah fees.

The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 aims to increase the number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to 15 million annually by 2020 and 30 million by 2030. 

Write to Parag Deulgaonkar at parag.d@argaamplus.com