Lahore: The rates for the Ramazan and Shabaan Umra packages have reached their highest ever owing to the monopoly of the Saudi Umra companies and the Pakistani travel agencies. According to reports, Umra package without approval in the month of Shabaan with lodgings amounts to Rs 45 to 40 thousand and the passengers will have to return back in the month of Shabaan only. Ramazan packages with approval for 15 and 21 days and Ramazan packages with visa approval but without lodgings varies from PKR 55000 to 60,000. People willing to go for Umra during their summer vacations are aghast at the Umra rates.
The airlines are silent about the airfare as they are surveying the market and will announce the new rates accordingly. The Pakistani and the Saudi travel agencies have created a false sense under the restricted quota of Umra enforced by the Saudi government. The Saudi government has in fact given instructions to all the countries in Rajab to for the Saudi companies to return the people coming from other countries for Umra to their respective countries according to schedule so that the rush of people in Ramazan and Shabaan is reduced. The approval will not be issued from 20 to 30th Rajab.
The Saudi government has allowed the travel agencies from 1st Rajab to not issue visa without the lodgings included in it, but unfortunately the Pakistani agencies are only giving visa approval rates disregarding the orders issued by the Saudi government. The new rates for the economy class without lodgings in Shabaan will amount to PKR 1 lac 20 thousand, while with lodgings will amount to PKR 1 lac 80 thousand. For Ramazan, the economy package will amount to more than PKR 2 lac. It is sad to see that there are no laws to check these companies.