THURSDAY, May 5, will remain a normal working day, but families appear to be proceeding with plans to enjoy a nine-day bumper break, according to travel agents.
Many had hoped that the odd working day split between two weekends, Eid Al Fitr and Labour Day, would become a special national holiday, after a call by MPs.
Travel agents yesterday revealed that no bookings had been changed or cancelled when it became clear the extra day would not be included.
Workers who have not booked leave in advance to take Thursday off may end up in hot water with their employers and parents could be put on the naughty step for keeping their children off school.
“We mostly sell seven-day holiday packages,” Bahrain Holidays managing director and chief executive Mahmood Al Kadhem told the GDN.
Mr Al Kadhem
“No booking has been shortened or cancelled yet. There has been a huge demand to travel. This is the first Eid Al Fitr in two years that people can actually celebrate without Covid-19 restrictions and they want to maximise their relaxation, comfort and joy.”
MPs have, however, requested the Cabinet to reconsider their ‘Thursday off’ request, saying that workers and students were in a celebratory mood and would prefer not to show up for an odd day of work or study in between the holiday period.
Mr Al Kadhem said there had been a rush on tickets to Turkey and Bosnia, among other destinations, during Eid Al Fitr next week. He added that several families were going on group tours to different countries following the relaxation of pandemic regulations. Bahrain Holidays represents a coalition of more than 130 travel agencies.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, issued a circular on the upcoming holidays yesterday.
This year’s holidays are likely to start with a weekend on Friday and Saturday, followed immediately by Labour Day on Sunday. However, should Sunday be declared as the first day of Eid then the holidays would run from Sunday to Tuesday with Wednesday given to workers as a day off in compensation for Sunday. And, should Eid be declared on Monday, then the break days would also automatically continue until Wednesday. This means workers in both the government and private sectors will be expected back to work on May 5.
Bahraini Fatima Husain, 34, is looking forward to a vacation in Turkey with her husband, two children and their nanny.
“My six-year-old daughter is in grade one and parents of most students in her class have already informed me that they were not going to take their children to school on May 5,” she said. “We will be back from Istanbul on May 6 and back to work on May 8.”
As reported in the GDN, MPs last week voted unanimously to make the Thursday a one-off national holiday this year. Only Sharjah has announced the day as a public holiday.
Mr Al Ansari
“We hope the Cabinet reconsiders the decision and adds Thursday to the holiday. Many people might just call in sick or ignore the punishment of a deduction from their annual leave,” said Parliament’s services committee chairman Ahmed Al Ansari, who spearheaded the proposal last week.
“The same is the case with schools as there are no exams immediately after Eid and so many parents will not care if their child skips just one day of classes,” he added.
“I’m sure there would be no changes in travel bookings or cancellations because a nine-day holiday is rare and people would certainly take advantage of it, whatever the consequences.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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