The Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) reports that former travel agency owner Mohamed Hachemi Bensaci of Holy Destinations Travel Inc., has been sentenced to 18 months in jail for defrauding consumers of religious travel packages.
He has also been ordered to pay $436,500 in restitution, while Holy Destinations Travel Inc. was fined $35,000 after pleading guilty to a combined total of 59 offenses under the Travel Industry Act, 2002.
Holy Destinations Travel Inc. operated as a registered travel agency in Ontario from 2019 until its registration was revoked by TICO on July 26, 2023, following consumer complaints. The agency, which specialized in Islamic pilgrimages such as Hajj, was accused of collecting consumer payments without delivering the travel services consumers purchased.
In 2022, the Saudi Arabian government mandated that Hajj travel packages for North Americans be sold exclusively through a government portal, preventing travel agencies from offering them. Despite this, Holy Destinations continued selling Hajj packages in 2023 to unsuspecting consumers and failed to deposit consumer funds into its trust account.
In total, 41 consumers had combined losses of $436,500. In some instances, the Travel Industry Compensation Fund reimbursed consumer complainants for a portion of their losses, totalling $142,000.
Industry call to action
TICO says the case highlights the importance of TICO registration in maintaining trust and integrity within Ontario’s travel industry.
“When businesses operate outside the law, it undermines consumer trust and creates an unfair environment for travel professionals and businesses that follow the law and uphold consumer protection. TICO works to support a fair and ethical marketplace by helping bring businesses into compliance and, when necessary, taking swift action to uphold consumer protection standards,” says TICO.
To the end, TICO says its compliance team proactively monitors the marketplace to identify compliance concerns and unregistered sellers.
At the same, they, add, “However, we also rely on information from the public and from the industry. If you come across a situation where travel services are being offered without proper registration, or notice a potential compliance issue, we encourage you to share your concerns with TICO at tico@tico.ca to help maintain a fair and safe travel marketplace.”
Individuals convicted in Court of offences relating to the Travel Industry Act, 2002 are subject to fines of up to $50,000 and/or prison terms of up to two years. Corporations are subject to fines of up to $250,000.
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