Travel agencies must have special umrah license from Oct 2017

Its deputy minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the purpose was to monitor and avoid fraudulent umrah cases from recurring in the future.

"If previously any companies wishing to handle umrah activities only needed an outbound license, effective October next year they must obtain two licenses, namely outbound license and special umrah license.

"Among the prerequisites for obtaining a license are that the umrah operators must undergo a two-day umrah operators enhancement course organised by the ministry," she told a media conference at her ministry here today.

She said those who failed to obtain a license would be liable to a fine of RM50,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, including revocation of the tourism license under Section 5 (2) of the Tourism Industry Act 1992.

According to her, an estimated 2,000 umrah pilgrims had been cheated by cheap umrah packages this year but so far only one official complaint was lodged to her ministry.

However 3,482 cases were received by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry fronm 2014 until October this year with consumers claims amounting to RM21.28 million, she said.

She said only companies in the form of Sdn Bhd are permitted to carry out tourism activities, including umrah packages and had license from the ministry.

Mas Ermieyati said the ceiling price for economic umrah packages that had been agreed by the Umrah Regulatory Council for 12 days, 10 nights was RM4,9000 for this year.