Translated with AI
The Uzbek authorities have brought four travel companies to administrative responsibility for illegally advertising services for organizing pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia to perform the minor Hajj – Umrah. This was reported by the Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights of Uzbekistan.
According to the department, the identified companies — Nature Travel, Muslim Fayzi Obod, Al-Bukhayr Travel Tours and Naqqosh Tour — distributed advertisements about sending pilgrims without having the appropriate license to conduct such activities. The inspection was conducted by the territorial departments of the committee for Tashkent, Bukhara and Jizzakh regions.
The amount of fines is not disclosed. However, as the department clarified, all case materials were drawn up in accordance with current legislation.
In addition, during the monitoring of advertising on social networks, the committee's employees in Tashkent and the Fergana region recorded additional violations of the Law on Advertising. Following the inspections, 11 Telegram channels that distributed prohibited advertising content were held accountable. A separate administrative case was also initiated against a representative of the Emir Voyega travel agency.
The Committee for Religious Affairs of Uzbekistan previously published a list of licensed tour operators authorized to organize the Umrah pilgrimage. Currently, the list includes 14 companies, each of which is required to contribute $1 million to the Ziyorat fund and also enter into an agreement with a partner from Saudi Arabia. Such firms are fully responsible for the medical, domestic and logistical support of pilgrims.
Despite warnings from the authorities, cases of fraud involving sending pilgrims to Umrah continue. Thus, in April of this year, the Uzbek authorities returned 580 citizens to their homeland who used the services of illegal tour operators.
