ALKHOBAR, 28 November 2003 — Security is the preoccupation of this Eid season. Hotels, amusement parks and shopping malls have increased public protection resources. While no one is questioning the need for such measures, armed guards, checkpoints and concrete barriers show that times have changed since last year.

Few Western faces are in sight at malls and parks where large crowds gather. Some Western expatriates are away on short breaks in Bahrain, with five-star hotels there reporting availability of executive rooms only.

According to staff at the Bahrain Hilton, “the situation is very peaceful... people are enjoying themselves.” One of the most popular restaurants in Bahrain, Trader Vic’s at the Ritz-Carlton, is fully booked through the weekend.

In Alkhobar, this Eid is looking brighter than the last. Le Gulf Meridien’s occupancy rate is 95-96 percent throughout the holiday.

“We are doing much better this year compared to last year,” said Prashant Sharma, speaking for the hotel’s management. “We have families staying with us from Qatar, Kuwait and remote areas of the Kingdom such as Hofuf. Today many children were taking advantage of the hotel’s Eid activities and it was a pleasure to see them all so happy.”

Commenting on the hotel’s security situation, Sharma explained that they have stepped up the number of guards, but they were trying to keep much of the protective services out of sight and as unobtrusive as possible.

“Of course we can’t hide all the security and that probably wouldn’t be a good idea anyway,” Sharma said. “No one has complained though. I believe people understand that we are just trying to do our best for them and being secure makes our guests feel more comfortable.”

While hotels and shopping malls can keep security low key, on the nation’s highways it’s a different story. Access roads to the airport now have aggressive checkpoints. Not only are the police requesting identification, but nearly every car’s trunk is searched and in some cases the interior of the vehicle is inspected, too.

Travelers from Alkhobar now require more than one hour to reach Dammam’s King Fahd International Airport during daylight hours. After sunset checkpoints spring up on secondary roads and at least an additional 30 minutes are added to the drive.