TICO: court orders 18-month jail sentence for former travel agent

A former travel advisor who operated in Ontario has received an 18-month jail sentence. 

Mohamed Hachemi Bensaci, the former director of Holy Destinations Travel Inc. was sentenced in court, and ordered to pay $436,500 in restitution, the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) shared in a press release Thursday (July 17). 

Holy Destinations Travel Inc. was also fined $35,000, after pleading guilty to a combined total of 59 offences under the Travel Industry Act, 2002.

The agency, which specialized in Islamic pilgrimages such as Hajj, was accused of collecting consumer payments without delivering the travel services consumers purchased, TICO said. 

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, TICO said. 

In total, 41 consumers were affected resulting in $436,500 in reported consumer losses. Additionally, $142,000 was reimbursed through the Ontario Travel Industry Compensation Fund

"This case highlights the importance of TICO registration in maintaining trust and integrity within Ontario’s travel industry," TICO wrote in a statement. "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." 

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