Moroccan Hajj Pilgrims Cancel Trips Amid Rising Costs and Economic Pressures

In a statement to Le360, Mohamed Semlali says that travel agencies are reporting many cancellations. These cancellations, he explains, are not intrinsically related to the price increase observed this year, but rather to the fact that several people have spent their savings, or the money they had dedicated to the Hajj for other needs. The official tried to substantiate these claims. "First of all, we must mention the rise in airfares offered by all airlines. These now amount to 14,500 DH per person. In addition to the high cost of kerosene, there is also the exchange rate," he further explains.

"Moreover, Saudi Arabia has increased the VAT, which has gone from 5 to 15%, in addition to the usual 5% municipal taxes, i.e. a total of 20%. These are additional costs that consequently increase the cost of this spiritual journey," adds the president of the National Federation of Travel Agencies of Morocco. He also explained that the Ministry of Tourism requires travel agencies to provide an "improved" service as part of the specifications, which also explains the increase in prices. "This enhancement of our services costs at least between 2,000 and 3,000 DH per pilgrim," the official said.

Regarding the prices of the services offered, Mohamed Semlali says that the available offers start from 67-68,000 DH for the social products, which represents a difference of nearly 4,000 DH compared to the pilgrimage fees (63,800 DH) supervised by the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs. According to him, the difference in airfares paid by the supervisory authority and travel agencies is the source of this gap.

"If we do the calculation, in the end, travel agencies have not increased the rates they offer. Moreover, their margin does not exceed 2,500 to 3,000 DH maximum per pilgrim. Our federation has agreed with all travel agencies to offer reasonable price formulas to the beneficiaries, who number 5,206," concludes the official.