MAKKAH, June 10 – The Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) continually monitors the operations of 25 travel agencies that have been licensed as Pengelola Jemaah Haji (PJH) or haj organisers to ensure that all these companies provide the best services to pilgrims.
PJH Operations director Anuar Ahmad said that monitoring is carried out from the home country to the Holy Land, including flight coordination with chartered planes, accommodations in Madinah and Makkah, and even the placement in tents during masyair.
“We in the PJH operations section need to ensure that every ringgit spent by the pilgrims truly corresponds to the value of the money they invest and pay to PJH.
“This is the main role of the PJH operations section in terms of coordination and monitoring to ensure that all Malaysian pilgrims receive the best services whether they are performing the pilgrimage through TH or PJH,” he told reporters at the TH headquarters.
He added that before being granted the PJH licence, all 25 companies must undergo stringent screening and must meet set conditions such as having a strong financial position and at least three consecutive years of experience in managing umrah.
The strict conditions are imposed to ensure that only reputable local travel agencies with strong capacity are granted the licences, thereby preventing fraud in haj packages.
This year, Anuar said, 26 per cent of the 31,600 pilgrims chose to perform the fifth pillar of Islam through PJH, comprising those with strong financial standing.
This is because each package offered by PJH typically ranges from RM50,000 to RM200,000, depending on the class of flight, the distance between accommodation and the mosque, and the provision of food.
Meanwhile, he added that the assumption by some parties that prospective pilgrims using PJH services are cutting the queue is incorrect, as all these pilgrims are within the list of 31,600 who received offer letters from TH.
“When the offer letters are issued, all pilgrims can choose whether to go through the packages offered, TH, TH Travel & Services Sdn Bhd, or PJH,” he said.
