Rokiah Mahmud
Following the easing of restrictions for entering and exiting Brunei Darussalam via air travel that was announced during the daily press conference recently, members of the public have began to travel to various destinations.
While some chose countries that they have been wanting to visit after a travel hiatus of nearly three years, many also opted to register for the Umrah packages that have been offered by several registered travel agencies in the country.
The Bulletin recently had the opportunity to get insights from the Managing Director of Al-Hijrah Travel and Tours Haji Shamsul Baharin bin Haji Abdul Rahman on the process, requirements as well as the procedure to bring the Sultanate’s Umrah pilgrims to the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah.
“Alhamdullillah, the recent announcement of easing of travel restrictions helped revive the tourism industry after facing hardships and challenges to keep the business going,” he said.
“This year in April, we managed to bring our first Umrah pilgrims to Madinah and Makkah.”
Prior to their departure, he added, Al-Hijrah made several arrangements both in the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as well as the transiting countries.
“The arrangements include acknowledging the policies and regulations that have been set by our government before travelling abroad, including making online application to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and informing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). The ministry will notify the General Consul in Jeddah on itineraries that will be carried out by our ’s Umrah pilgrims.
“Once the approval is obtained, the pilgrims need to have travel insurance, particularly that covers COVID-19. The travel insurance is needed in case the Umrah pilgrims experience unexpected incidents or situations such as transmitting or being infected by COVID-19. It would help ease their journey if they are insured….
