Due to the pandemic, the introduction of 15% VAT in Saudi Arabia and the increase in prices, the amount of payment for Uzbek pilgrims has been increased.
The Muslim Board of Uzbekistan has commented on the value added to the amount of Umrah fee paid until February 2020. As it turns out, an additional payment was added to the Umrah fees paid before the pandemic for the following reasons:
• due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are requirements such as accommodating 2 pilgrims in a 4-person hotel room and 25 people in a 50-seat bus;
• distribution of food products in special packaging and provision of additional doctors and special medicines in the provision of medical services;
• prices for production and services have risen due to an increase in prices compared to two years ago, as well as the introduction of a 15% value added tax in Saudi Arabia.
“Secondly, hotels close to the Two Harams have been booked in Mecca and Medina so that the pilgrim can spend every minute of his time in the holy land and worship only. A five-star hotel was reserved in Pulman Zam-Zam, which is close to the Nabawi Mosque, and a five-star hotel in Jabal Umar, near Baitullah. For comparison, in previous years, our pilgrims were staying in a hotel located at about 1.2 km from the Haram Mosque in Mecca,” the statement reads.
The Muslim Board also said it had studied the possibilities of a number of companies to organize Umrah trips, and some companies coming out with an alternative offer on social media did not have an updated permit to provide Umrah services.
According to the statement, a separate account will be opened for Hajj or Umrah payments and expenses will be incurred.
“The money is kept in a special bank account. It is not possible to use the funds for any purpose other than the routes related to the blessed journey. The payments were refunded on the basis of an application from citizens who had paid for Umrah by February 2020 and decided not to visit due to the pandemic. The funds of the remaining citizens are kept in the Umrah account at their own discretion,” the Muslim Board said in a statement.
Earlier, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan announced that the Umrah season will open on January 22, 2022.
It was announced that prior to the pandemic, citizens who were unable to travel by the end of February 2020 after making payments for the Umrah pilgrimage would be sent, but they would have to pay an additional 4,770,000 soums in addition to their last payment.
