Egypt cracks down on tourism after hundreds of pilgrims die during pilgrimage

Mahmoud Qassem, a member of the Egyptian Parliament, said that travel agencies “left pilgrims alone and turned off their mobile phones” so as not to hear travelers’ cries for help

Muslim pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, the cubic building of the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (Photo: PTI)

NYT

Gerry Mullany

After hundreds of pilgrims died in the scorching desert heat during the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, the Egyptian government announced Saturday that it had suspended the licenses of 16 travel agencies that facilitated travel for some pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

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At least 450 people died during this year’s pilgrimage, during which travelers experienced maximum temperatures ranging from 42 to 49 degrees Celsius. However, the actual death toll is expected to rise as governments obtain more accurate death data. (Egypt, for example, has officially confirmed only 31 deaths). In announcing the suspension of 16 travel agencies, the Egyptian government said the companies failed to provide important services such as medical care to pilgrims. It said companies failed to provide pilgrims with “adequate accommodation”, causing them to suffer from “exhaustion due to high temperatures”.

Reuters reported that some travel agencies may not have officially registered for the pilgrimage to avoid the high costs of package tours. As Reuters reported, the companies are blamed for allowing pilgrims to travel to Saudi Arabia on personal visas instead of hajj visas, which provide access to medical care and holy sites.

Mahmoud Qassem, a member of the Egyptian parliament, said travel agencies “left pilgrims alone and turned off their mobile phones” so as not to hear travelers’ cries for help.

There were also complaints that pilgrims were not provided with access to enough cooling stations or water due to the intense heat. The number of unregistered visitors may have left Saudi Arabia unprepared to deal with such a large influx of people. The Tunisian government said the country’s pilgrim death toll was expected to rise from the 49 reported on Friday.