Some pilgrims in Singapore are pressing ahead with Umrah plans despite a government travel advisory recommending they hold off, while others in the community have yet to settle on whether to postpone or cancel their trips entirely.
On Wednesday, 14 October, guidance released by Singapore's Islamic Religious Council (MUIS) urged residents holding Umrah bookings to reconsider those travel arrangements, a stance that echoed an earlier Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) notice advising people to postpone trips to Saudi Arabia in light of the security conditions there. Missile and drone strikes have hit parts of Saudi Arabia — airports among the affected sites — providing the backdrop against which the travel notice was issued.
Though not obligatory, the pilgrimage known as Umrah draws Muslims to Mecca throughout the year, with no fixed season restricting when the journey may be undertaken.
One family's plans for a faith-based trip were called off with only a few hours left before their Wednesday, 14 October check-in window was due to open. Mdm Hadijah, who had organised the trip together with her family, told reporters that the disruption to their flights left the group feeling upset about their holiday plans falling through. The family had intended to stay in the kingdom through 25 October as part of an Umrah trip arranged through OneOasis Travel, a plan that was set aside after their Emirates flight connecting Dubai to Saudi Arabia did not operate; a family member noted that discussions were under way about moving the trip to a later date, with the following year being one possibility under consideration. Mdm Hadijah, who chose not to share her full name, expressed her aspiration that the Umrah journey would come to fruition.
A ten-day journey beginning 3 November has been arranged for Denise Deanna Chew, who will be accompanied by her husband and their two boys — a teenager of 14 and an infant just one year old. Their travel arrangements place the family aboard Saudia Airlines flights, with And.i Experience handling the trip's organisation on the ground. The travel advisories left Chew uneasy, a feeling heightened by the fact that her upcoming trip would include an infant. Preparations were continuing on the family's end, Ms Chew noted, while developments were being tracked closely in parallel.
The family still plans to carry out the Umrah pilgrimage, though Ms Chew noted they have prepared themselves for the possibility that the journey may not go ahead, adding that holding onto faith, in her view, does not mean setting aside safety or courting avoidable risk. Three circumstances, Chew explained to journalists, could prompt the family to revisit their plans: a worsening situation on the ground, updated advisories from MFA or MUIS, or the grounding of their scheduled flights.
A traveller going by Ms A had arranged to make the journey alongside family members and friends, with an Emirates flight booked for the period running from 21 October through to 1 November. Aware of the security concerns the trip carries, she indicated her plan to go ahead with it regardless. Whatever the travel agency decides about cancelling the trip, she stated her intention to respect that outcome, pointing out that the matter falls beyond anyone's control. The travel agency, she noted, had been keeping her group informed that it was tracking developments in the situation. Her intention to carry out the Umrah pilgrimage remained, she noted, contingent on receiving the necessary authorisation.
Nur Zhafirin Bin Nor Azhar, set to make his first Umrah pilgrimage in December, said he would welcome a calmer situation in the region, though he added that guidance from his travel agency on safety would ultimately shape his decision.
Bookings remained on schedule as tour operators kept watch over how the situation unfolds. Travelling under the banner of Noor Mohamad Services & Travel, one party boarded a non-stop Saudia Airlines service out of Singapore bound for Jeddah on Wednesday, touching down in Mecca by Thursday morning. Ahead of their departure, pilgrims had already been coordinating through a WhatsApp group, with Director Ustazah Juyda Noor Mohamad noting that the group was prepared to move forward. The organisation told reporters that pilgrim welfare sits at the top of its agenda, with a spokesperson noting that travellers are being urged to hold off on departing until the threat environment has stabilised.
Umrah bookings handled by Shahidah Travel are proceeding as planned, with the operator noting that nothing about its departure schedule had shifted as of Wednesday. A delegation of travellers sent by the agency is presently undertaking Umrah in Mecca, and those pilgrims are reported to be in good health. Pilgrims affected by any schedule changes or service interruptions would be notified through ongoing coordination with the relevant parties, the statement added. Pilgrim details were entered into the MFA's eRegister portal, putting contact and coordination channels in place should the need arise. Among the contingency measures put in place, a designated staff member would keep duplicate copies of travellers' passports and passport-sized photographs on hand.
Scheduled flights and ground-level logistics in Saudi Arabia are both under active assessment by Travelconnect. By Wednesday, roughly one in twenty travellers with year-end Saudi Arabia bookings had reached out to the agency over plans to delay or call off their trips, according to director Mohamed Nafis Rahman. Nafis noted that while the travel intentions of those customers were understood, any choice to go ahead would need to weigh official advisories, the availability of flights, and whether ground arrangements could be carried out safely. Ground operators and tour leaders are keeping in regular contact with pilgrims already on the ground in Saudi Arabia, tracking their wellbeing and staying across developments around their homeward-bound flights.
A statement from Hamidah Travel & Tours on Wednesday outlined plans to hold direct conversations with its pilgrims in response to the advisory put out jointly by MFA and MUIS. Ongoing oversight of the developments was what Badruzzaman Abdul Majid, the agency's director, pledged to maintain. Travellers whose journeys are disrupted by cancelled flights would have replacement bookings arranged on their behalf through the agency. As of Tuesday, a contingent of pilgrims travelling through Madinah remained under the firm's care.
Travellers who delay or cancel their bookings may not receive the full amount paid back, and extra charges could apply in some cases. How the costs ultimately shake out will hinge on whatever deals travel agencies have negotiated with airlines, hotels, and other service providers.
On Wednesday, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore reached out to Umrah travel operators, asking them to keep affected pilgrims informed and, where arrangements allowed, to offer options for postponing or shifting their travel dates. Badruzzaman noted that Hamidah Travel & Tours would need to maintain close coordination with airlines and other service providers. Postponements are being accepted by carriers at present, though fees may be attached for travellers on routes that remain active. A departure for Saudi Arabia on 22 October is on the agency's calendar for its next contingent, with a spokesperson noting that assisting pilgrims throughout their journey remains the organisation's core purpose. Mr Badruzzaman described the matter as an "amanah" — a trust — that he and others bear responsibility for.
Postponement and refund possibilities are being explored by Travelconnect in talks with its service providers. By Wednesday, not one of the airline partners Travelconnect had been coordinating with had put forward refund options for travellers who chose to cancel on their own. The agency is in discussions with airlines and hotels about waiving fees and allowing itinerary adjustments where those providers are able to accommodate them, while Mr Nafis noted that each affected customer would be walked through the options open to them, along with any costs attached, before any choice is made.
Travelconnect advises travellers to take out travel insurance, while noting that what gets covered varies from one policy to the next — and a company representative stressed that policyholders should not take it for granted that cancellations or disruptions tied to the prevailing situation will automatically fall within their plan's scope.
Postponement or rescheduling of bookings would take precedence under the approach outlined by Noor Mohamad Services & Travel, though any such arrangement remained dependent on availability and confirmation from the relevant service providers. Bookings where travellers seek to withdraw will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with the agency outlining what refunds are available under the relevant terms, Ustazah Juyda noted, adding that the organisation's priority is to limit out-of-pocket losses for pilgrims and provide a transparent accounting of any sums that cannot be recovered, though fare differentials or extra accommodation charges may still arise even where change fees are not levied.
Travellers heading to their destination are advised to keep a close eye on their flight details — both before setting out and at various points along the way — as scheduling adjustments can happen with little advance notice, according to Ee Sheng Cha, who serves as security manager for assistance operations at International SOS, a firm specialising in health and security risk management. Those making the journey are advised to arrange a travel insurance policy broad enough to cover both security-related interruptions and unforeseen logistical disruptions along the route. Pilgrims present in Saudi Arabia were urged by Mr Ee to treat unverified content spreading through social media, messaging apps, or word of mouth with caution rather than acting on it. Pilgrims are also advised to learn the evacuation routes and note where the nearest refuge points are located, both at their lodgings and across the holy sites they visit. Ee's advice to tour operators centred on building flexibility into their itineraries — factoring in alternative flight options and secondary routing — so that any abrupt closure of entry or exit points would not leave passengers without a way forward.
