A total of 300 prospective pilgrims who have paid their fares to travel to Mecca are currently stranded in Tamale in the Northern Region.
Although the pilgrims had paid an amount of GHc4,910 for the visa and other expenses to the Holy city, their visas were yet to be secured by the Ayana Travel and Tour Agency, the agent that had been contracted to transport them.
Mr. Mohammed Abdulai, a businessman who had come to see his mother off at the airport, was not happy with developments and told the Ghana News Agency on Monday that the pilgrims were told they would be transported to Accra last Friday to be airlifted to Mecca but that had not happened.
He said visas for the travelers had not been secured yet and expressed disappointment about the travel agent’s handling of the schedule. He stressed that Monday October 24 was supposed to be the last flight to Mecca though they were yet to be told when to leave for Accra.
Some of the travelers said there was no information about what was going on, except for the last minute when one of the staff of the travel agency told them that their boss was still trying to secure visas for the pilgrims in Accra.
Meanwhile, most of the pilgrims could be seen sitting in the premises of the Ayana Travel and Tour Agency with disappointment written on their faces, but efforts to speak to officials of the Agency proved futile.
Source: GhanaWeb
