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View all search resultsTravel providers split over independent ‘umrah’ scheme
A travel provider association said self-arranged umrah (minor haj) may threaten the sustainability of the business, while another said the scheme will drive innovation among travel agencies.
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Muslims pray around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on June 6, 2025. (AFP/-)
A recent amendment to the haj law now permits Indonesians to perform umrah (minor haj) without going through travel agents, a change the government says is in line with Saudi Arabia’s latest pilgrimage policies but which has provoked criticism from travel providers.
Much of the attention paid to the revision to the 2019 Haj and Umrah Law, passed into law in late August, centers around the decision to elevate the Haj Organizing Agency (BP Haji) into a ministry. The new body is tasked with taking over management duties of the annual Islamic pilgrimage from the Religious Affairs Ministry.
But criticism has focused on Article 86 of the new law, which now allows Indonesian Muslims to arrange their own umrah independently, alongside the long-established options of traveling through licensed travel providers (PPIU) or the government, in certain special cases.
Unlike the haj, umrah is not mandatory for Muslims. But the pilgrimage remains highly popular among those who can afford it, with data from the Religious Affairs Ministry showing around 1.4 million Indonesians went on the trip last year.
But the plan has drawn opposition from travel agencies, with Zaky Zakaria Anshary, secretary-general of the Association of Indonesian Haj and Umrah Organizers (Amphuri), warning that going on umrah without licensed organizers may expose pilgrims to numerous risks, such as a lack of legal protection, logistical support and proper guidance in performing religious rituals.
“Past cases show many pilgrims who were unfamiliar with Saudi regulations have faced fines or even detention for minor infractions,” Zaky said on Monday.
