Special hajj packages can’t be below Tk 4.63 lakh: Agencies’ Association

Hajj agencies will be able to announce separate "special hajj packages" on their own but the pricing of any such package cannot go below the minimum set amount, Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh President M Shahadat Hossain Taslim said today.

A Bangladeshi pilgrim will have to spend a minimum of Tk 4,63,744 for performing hajj under private agencies which is around Tk 1,09,150 more than that of 2020.

Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB), a platform of around 1,500 hajj agencies, today announced the "general hajj package" at a press conference in a Dhaka hotel.

The religious affairs ministry yesterday proposed a minimum hajj package under private management which is Tk 4,56,530.

The HAAB president said every hajj pilgrim would have to pay an additional Tk 19,683 for a "Qurbani coupon" from the Islamic Development Bank in Saudi Arabia.

According to the bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, a total of 57,585 Bangladeshis will be able to perform hajj this year – likely to be held on July 8 depending on sighting of the moon.

Of the total pilgrims, 4,000 will perform hajj under government management while the rest will perform hajj under private agencies, he also said.

The HAAB president said they have announced the general hajj package after calculating the airfare, accommodation in Saudi Arabia, service charges, Muallem fees, Zamzam water, food costs and other fees.