19 travel agencies in Malaysia licensed to provide Hajj 2017 services

Source: TH. The PJH licence award ceremony.

Lembaga Tabung Haji (TH) has accredited 19 travel agencies for the Hajj 2017 (1438) season. the agencies received the Pengelola Jemaah Haji (PJH) licence at TH premises.

TH reminded the agencies to fulfill the services promised to pilgrims.

TH, the Pilgrims Fund Board of Malaysia, was established as an economics-based Islamic financial institution to help provide investment services and opportunities to grow funds for the Hajj while managing pilgrimage activities for the Malaysian Muslim community.

MUIS releases list of authorised travel agents and approved packages for Hajj

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has appointed four travel agents and seven travel agent consortiums to offer Hajj packages for 2016 (1437).

Prospective Singaporean pilgrims may choose from a total of 30 Hajj packages this year. Ten of these are short-trip packages lasting 15 to 25 days. The remaining 20 have longer durations, ranging from 26 to 39 days.

The lowest package price for this year is $7,190 (quad occupancy), while the most expensive package price is S$18,092 (for double occupancy). All package prices quoted include emergency medical assistance (EMA) but exclude airfare and prevailing taxes.

Muis has notified successful pilgrims whose registration numbers fall within the official quota (680) and have confirmed to Muis that they will perform Hajj this year. Muis will soon notify them to choose their preferred Hajj package.

Muis advises intending pilgrims to evaluate packages carefully before deciding, based on their needs and budgets.  They are strongly advised to read and understand the contents of the Haj Purchase Contract and the general sales agents (GSAs) have been requested to explain the contract to intending pilgrims before they are asked to sign it.

The approved agents are:

HALIJAH TRAVEL S
NOOR MOHAMAD SERVICES & TRAVEL
SHAHIDAH TRAVEL & TOURS
TM FOUZY TRAVEL & TOURS

Consortiums:
AL FIRDAUS TRAVELS (Lead agent)
Abu Bakar Travel Services
Afandi Travel & Services
Evershine Travel & Services

AZZA TRAVEL & TOURS (Lead agent)
Hafiz Murad Travels
Rafflesia Travel & Tours

HAHNEMANN TRAVEL & TOURS (Lead agent)
An - Nur Travel
Sunny Island Travel & Tours

JALALUDDIN TRAVEL & SERVICES PTE LTD (Lead agent)
Hagel Travel & Tours

NURHIKMAH TRAVEL & TOURS PTE LTD (Lead agent)
AQ Travel & Tours
Azzam Travel & Tours
Babus Salam Holidays

PRIMULA TRAVEL & TOURS PTE LTD (Lead agent)
Al Qaswa Tours & Travel
Qu’ins Travel & Tours

SHA TRAVEL & TOURS (Lead agent)
Al - Fattah Travel & Tours
Hamidah Travel & Tours
Smiling Tours & Travel
Thoha Travel & Tours

Interested?

View the list of authorised travel agents and approved Hajj packages (PDF)

All packages were proposed through the Offers of Haj Package 1437H / 2016 exercise, which commenced on 26 February 2016 and closed on 18 March 2016. The signing of the Haj Package Agreement 1437H / 2016 between Muis and the appointed GSAs was held on 15 April 2016.

View Muis' video on the Hajj
Use Muis' advanced Hajj registration system

Compare prices with those for 2014

Muslim Travel Warehouse adds halal friendly familiarisation tours to Yunnan and Beijing

Muslim Travel Warehouse now has halal-friendly holiday packages to China for travel agents. The company connects suppliers of tour packages and activities with travel agents from around the world. Muslim Travel Warehouse also works with suppliers to help them adapt their products for Muslim tourists.

The current packages are for Yunnan and Beijing. Yunnan province is known for being home to a third of China’s ethnic minorities. The global travel aggregator recommends:

• The Yunnan Ethnic Cultural Village for the architecture, art, food, customs and clothing, 
• The old towns of Guan-Du and Dali, including the Erhai Lake cruise 
• Bai ethnic tea and performances
• Jade Dragon Snow Mountain National Park
• The Stone Forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Mosque visits are included in the Yunnan tour, including HuiDongYuan Mosque, YongNing Mosque and Lijiang Old-town Mosque. 

For Beijing, the Islamic history of China is recognised with the visit of the oldest Mosque in the city, the Niujie Mosque, built in 996. 

Halal food is provided throughout all tours with a range of cuisines and at multiple accomodations.

Interested?

Travel agents can register at the Muslim Travel Warehouse

Muis lists approved Hajj travel agents and travel packages for 2015

Majilis Ugama Islam Singapura (Muis), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, has appointed five individual travel agents and six consortium travel agents to offer Hajj packages for Hajj 1436 (2015). 

All packages were proposed through the Offers of Haj Package 1436H / 2015 tender, which was open from 11 March to 31 March 2015. The signing of the Haj Package Agreement 1436H / 2015 between Muis and the appointed agencies was held on 12 May 2015 at the Singapore Islamic Hub. 

A total of 27 Hajj packages are available to pilgrims this year. Ten Hajj packages ranging from 15 to 25 days, defined as the short trip, and 17 Hajj packages provide 29 to 37 days (long trip). Prices range from S$6,990 to S$14,890. All packages include emergency medical assistance but exclude airfare and prevailing taxes. 

Muis advises intending pilgrims to evaluate packages carefully based on their needs and affordability. They are strongly advised to read and understand the contents of the Haj Purchase Contract and the agencies have been requested to explain the contract to intending pilgrims before they are asked to sign it. 

Next steps?

View the list of appointed individual and consortium agencies (scroll to the middle)
See approved packages (scroll to the end)

Plantronics launches headsets addressing modern call centre challenges

Plantronics has announced a new family of headset solutions designed for customer service centres and offices. 

Source: Plantronics. The EncorePro 500 family.

According to the company, customer service centres face new challenges with the trend towards using smartphones and self-service. Customers who call customer service representatives (CSRs) with a problem have likely already tried self-service and may even have much more information than the agent. A call has become an escalation that puts more pressure on the CSR to perform, even though the customer is more often than not speaking in a mobile environment with questionable audio quality.

Businesses are also using over-the-phone routes for complex, high-value transactions, where CSRs must work with high-quality audio and yet preserve the confidentiality of customer information.

The Plantronics EncorePro 500 Series is designed for such challenges. It features new materials and technologies that yield an ergonomic fit that is durable, lightweight, and comfortable for all-day wearing. The noise-cancelling technology ensures more focused and private calls, so conversations will be heard clearly with fewer misunderstood words and with reduced background noise from keyboards and close talkers.

The family includes the EncorePro 510/520, which are dedicated over-the-head models, and the EncorePro 540, a convertible model. All models support wideband audio.


"We are building on the world's most successful professional grade headset, the SupraPlus, and this is a challenge we did not take lightly. Our deep understanding of the new business needs and role of customer service, and the availability of new materials, design philosophies, manufacturing techniques and core technologies resulted in a new portfolio that is not only state-of-the-art by today's standards, but also future-proofed to adapt as the landscape changes," said Bill Loewenthal, VP, Enterprise Communications Solutions, Plantronics. 

The new EncorePro 540 (convertible) model is immediately available. The EncorePro 510/520 (dedicated over-the-head monaural and binaural models) will be available in both noise-cancelling and voice tube* versions in December. 

Visit www.plantronics.com/contactcenter for information and pricing. View the associated video here.

*Voice tubes transfer sound more clearly across a distance.

Muis releases approved Haj travel agent information for 2014

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) has appointed six individual travel agents and five consortium travel agents (comprising 20 general sales agents) for Haj in the year 1435 H/2014. Muis has also approved 26 Haj packages to be offered by these travel agents (GSAs) for the coming Haj. 

This is an increase over 2013, when Muis appointed five individual GSAs and four consortium GSAs (also comprising 20 GSAs), and approved 15 Haj packages. The increase in packages this year is due to more short-trip packages being offered. 

While the 15 approved packages from 2013 remain part of the approved packages for 2014, eight of the packages have increased an average of 8% in price, while five are now cheaper. The lowest package price this year is S$6,990 while the most expensive package costs S$13,650. All packages include emergency medical assistance (EMA) but exclude airfare and prevailing taxes. Only 680 pilgrims from Singapore were approved by the Saudi authorities for this year, leading to lower bargaining power for the GSAs and thus higher prices. 

All packages offered were submitted through a public tender via the

Government e-Business (GeBIZ) site.

Muis advises pilgrims-to-be to evaluate carefully before deciding on their preferred Haj package based on their need and affordability. They are strongly advised to read and understand the content of the Haj Purchase Contract and the GSAs have been requested to explain the contract to intending pilgrims before they are asked to sign it.

Muis has notified the successful pilgrims whose registration number falls

within the official quota and have confirmed to Muis that they will perform Haj

this year. Muis will soon notify them to choose their preferred Haj package.

Information on the authorised travel agents and approved Haj packages for this year can be found at www.muis.gov.sg.