Saudi Arabia suspends 1,800 Umrah travel agencies for poor service

In a significant regulatory crackdown, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the suspension of contracts with 1,800 foreign travel agencies engaged in the Umrah pilgrimage sector after a performance review revealed serious shortcomings in service quality and compliance with approved standards.

The move, announced on February 01, 2026, affects nearly one-third of the estimated 5,800 agencies operating across the globe but officials say that it will not disrupt services for pilgrims with existing visas or confirmed bookings.

Why were the Hajj and Umrah travel contracts suspended by Saudi Arabia?

According to the Saudi Press Agency and ministry officials, the suspension came after a routine evaluation uncovered widespread deficiencies in service delivery and performance among many foreign Umrah operators.

The Ministry has given the affected agencies a 10-day window to address and correct these issues, after which their contracts could be reinstated if they meet the required standards.Ministry spokesperson Ghassan Alnwaimi emphasised that enforcing approved classification criteria and performance benchmarks is essential to improving compliance among service providers, strengthening the reliability of the Umrah sector, and protecting pilgrims’ rights.

The ministry clarified that pilgrims holding valid visas or confirmed reservations will not be affected by the suspension.Their travel services including visas, accommodation and transportation are expected to continue without interruption as usual. Importantly, the suspension applies only to the issuance of new visas and contract renewals. Agencies that quickly fix their compliance issues within the grace period could see their contracts reactivated and resume issuing new visas afterward.This regulatory move is part of broader efforts by the Saudi government to professionalise the Umrah travel ecosystem and align services with international standards. Saudi authorities have increasingly emphasised quality, transparency and accountability in the pilgrimage travel sector, a crucial component of the Kingdom’s broader tourism and religious initiatives under Vision 2030.