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Website separates wheat from chaff in pilgrimage tours
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Muslim pilgrims visit the Nabawi Mosque in December 2017. (Shutterstock/Izuddin Helmi)
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s the umrah (minor Islamic pilgrimage) is widely popular in Indonesia, travel agencies that provide umrah travel packages are also on the rise.
However, finding responsible travel agencies among the many can be daunting for customers, as there have been several fraud cases involving umrah travel agencies.
The recently launched website pergiumroh.com, an online platform serving as a marketplace, offers a new way to find umrah agencies and umrah packages by utilizing the internet and technology. (https://pergiumroh.com/)
Pergiumroh’s CEO Muhammad Faried Ismunandar said the platform worked just like a search engine and marketplace, where customers could enter keywords related to umrah packages they wished to find. The platform would then provide information and umrah packages, and customers could make a booking through the site.
“Basically, we aim to make it easier for customers to find and book umrah packages online, without having to go to personally survey travel agencies,” he said.
Read also: Garuda Indonesia offers five-star facilities for ‘umrah’
He added that the platform focused on providing transparency and openness for customers. On the website, information regarding the umrah is available, including itineraries, departure schedules and accommodation details.
Currently, the marketplace is partnering with 13 umrah travel agencies and has listed around 5,000 umrah seats with various types of package.
“We have assessed every travel agency we are partnering with. They must hold an official license from the Religious Affairs Ministry, without any bad track record or involvement in fraud cases,” said Faried.
The number of people going on the umrah from Indonesia has increased over these past few years. In 2017, as many as 870,000 people went on the umrah, up from 699,600 in the previous year. Meanwhile, the government has set its target to 1 million people this year. (wng)
