The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has suspended B2C e-visas for Egyptian citizens wishing to perform the Umrah pilgrimage.
The announcement comes following the deaths of more than 650 Egyptian Haj pilgrims, with an estimated 630 of them unregistered pilgrims due to intense heat temperatures reaching 51.8 degrees Celsius.
The B2C system enables Umrah pilgrims to travel independently from a tour operator.
Speaking to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the Egyptian Travel Agents Association (ETTA), Basil al-Sisi, confirmed Kingdom’s announcement.
He clarified that Egyptians can still perform Umrah by booking through an authorized travel agency in Egypt.
On Saturday, June 22, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly revoked permits from 16 tourism companies for allegedly allowing individuals to participate in Haj through unregistered means.
On Sunday, June 23, Saudi Arabia’s health minister, Fahd al-Jalajel, said that the death toll during the Haj 1445 AH-2024 season reached 1,301.
Human Rights Watch urges Saudi Arabia to enhance heat protection measures for pilgrims, as part of its Vision 2030 plan to increase religious pilgrimage to 30 million annually.
