Faithful denounce religious tourism agency for losses of up to R$85,000 due to cancellations and lack of reimbursement

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Reports come from consumers in the capital of São Paulo, the interior, such as Osasco and Araçatuba, as well as Paraná. Many say they’ve been waiting for more than a year and a half for trips that were important spiritual plans and ended up turning into frustration and financial hardship.

Peregrina Brasil Turismo publicly presents itself as a company with more than 12 years of experience in the religious pilgrimage segment. The packages contracted, according to the faithful, had high prices, included traditional itineraries of international religious tourism and, in several cases, the participation of priests accompanying the groups. However, customers claim that dates have been changed several times, without shipments taking place.

One of the cases concerns a 15-day pilgrimage to the Holy Land, initially planned for June 2024. The client paid US$5,670, in addition to a membership fee of US$200, which at the time was equivalent to around R$30,000. The group would number 35 people and Jerusalem would be the central city of the route, recognized as sacred by Jews, Christians and Muslims.

The trip was postponed several times and the last date communicated to clients was November, according to messages sent in a WhatsApp group by Rogério Fernando de Brito Azevedo, who presented himself as a representative of the agency.

There are also reports of a trip to France, Spain and Portugal during which the problem worsened: families even went to São Paulo International Airport, in Guarulhos, and had cancellations shortly before boarding, even though they were already there.

“Impacts arising from the armed conflict in Gaza”

In a note sent to TV Globo, Rogério Fernando de Brito Azevedo said the company is facing “serious impacts resulting from the armed conflict in Gaza and Israel since October 2023,” emphasizing that Israel is the main destination for pilgrimages organized by Peregrina Brasil. According to him, the groups’ flights to the country will be reorganized from April 2026. The company also affirmed the existence of a contractual clause which provides for the non-return of the sums paid in the event of war, while informing that it has already started repayments with its own capital, for a total of more than 4 million reais.

Despite the justification, the TV Globo team went to the address indicated by the agency, in the eastern zone of São Paulo, and did not find any employees there, which reinforced doubts about the situation of the company.

Procon formally contested the arguments presented by Peregrina Brasil Turismo. According to the agency, “these exclusions of liability do not comply with article 51 of the Consumer Code. The company is obliged to postpone a new date, but never keeps the sums paid with the justification of the risk. For Procon, the clause used to refuse reimbursement is abusive and contrary to the legislation.

The National Confederation of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB) also spoke out, specifying that archdioceses have the autonomy to organize pilgrimages and that agreements signed with tourist companies are the direct responsibility of the organizers and not of the religious entity.