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Foreigners in Saudi Arabia still deprived of a pilgrimage to Mecca this year. A difficult situation for tour operators who organize pilgrimages. This is especially the case in Senegal, where private tour operators are now in total disarray. For the second year since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, they will not be able to organize a Hajj. A real shortcoming for many, who simply risk going out of business.
as reported from Dakar, Birahim Toure
Another year of difficulties and uncertainty. These are the reactions of the organizers of the pilgrimage to Mecca in Senegal. Private tour operators, as they are identified here, share more than 12,000 pilgrims each year out of the 13,000 quotas allocated by the Saudi authorities. But for the second year in a row, the few hundred tour operators have to turn a blind eye or even close if it continues.
Houreye Thiam Preira, communications manager for the national grouping of private operators in Haj and Oumras, is concerned about: “all the big agencies that only did Haj and were dedicated to this activity. And also, there were a lot of deposits, many millions had been deposited in Saudi Arabia for hotel bookings, logistics and everything. ”
In terms of figures, the cancellation of the pilgrimage or Shark is not less than 780 million CFA francs, or just over 1.2 million euros per loss year. A figure down according to Palla Mbengue, president of the employers of Senegal travel agencies: “If you make a small calculation, with the 12,800 we were at 42 billion in turnover and of the 42 billion there is no one has only 10 to 15% profit.”
Faced with this unsurpassed situation, tour operators are waiting for a recovery from the state, which is slow to react. Some of them are already announcing their retraining in an attempt to survive. When we pray for the Kaaba so that this situation does not continue.
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