KUALA LUMPUR – The Tourism, Arts and Environment Ministry has suspended the licence of a haj pilgrimage operator, Emraz Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, for conducting business in a harmful manner that has affected the public, the tourism sector, and the national economy.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, said in a statement today that the company’s licence is to be suspended for six months from July 10, 2023, until January 9, 2024.
He said during the suspension period, the company is not allowed to conduct any business operations, such as advertising umrah packages or taking on new clients.
“Within this suspension period, the company must also return all payments and documents that belong to the umrah pilgrims who chose to cancel their bookings with the company and reschedule delayed umrah travel (date),” he said.
The ministry will revoke the company’s licence if the rules are not complied with, and the company will not be allowed to renew its licence after it expires.
Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) suspended the licence of the same company in April due to public complaints about the Umrah services provided by the company.
Following TH’s action, news portal Kosmo reported that Emraz’s chief executive officer, Datuk Zulkarnain Endut, denied ever scamming umrah pilgrims, saying that the company has assisted over 30,000 pilgrims, proving that it is a legitimate operation.
The company also claimed to have maintained the prices of its packages despite the increase in travel costs.
The problem began in March of this year, when the media reported a group of prospective pilgrims protesting in front of the company’s headquarters at Presint 8 in Putrajaya, claiming to have been cheated by the company.
The group claimed that they were informed that their trip was cancelled only a day before the scheduled departure (February 28), thus demanding a full refund.
Emraz reportedly explained that the problem arose due to unforeseen circumstances, such as a sudden increase in the number of umrah pilgrims due to school holidays in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia falling in the same week. – The Vibes, July 8, 2023
