Tour operators explain rise in Hajj prices for North-Caucasians

The introduction of the visa fee is the main reason for the increase in the cost of a Hajj travel, representatives of the accredited tour operators have explained.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 14, Chechnya began accepting documents from those who wish to make a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. This year, the cost of the tour has increased by almost ten percent and amounts to 3600 US dollars, the republic's Muftiate has informed.

The cost of the tour to Hajj has increased due to the rise in the price of the services included into the package, and the price of a visa, Bulat Kurbanov, Director of the "Marva-Tour", a Dagestani Hajj tour operator, explained.

"Earlier, there was no visa fee; we had to pay only for a number of mandatory services. Now, a visa fee has been added to the cost of mandatory services; therefore, under the same list and quality of services, the Hajj has become more expensive. Besides, there is a rise in prices for transport services, both of the host country and, due to inflation, among Russian airlines," Mr Kurbanov explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, even with such Hajj prices, the cost of a tour in Russia is one of the cheapest.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 17, 2020 at 11:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.