RIYADH: After Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah ordered recently an extension of the Eid Al-Fitr holiday for the public sector, people in the Kingdom are getting ready for one of their longest holiday breaks.
The Eid holiday begins this year on Oct. 1. (In an unusual occurrence, the lunar month of Ramadan matches precisely with the Gregorian month of September.) Initially, employees were expected back to work on Monday, Oct. 6, but the official government-sector holiday has been extended to Oct. 8, followed by the regular Thursday-Friday weekend. This means that nonessential government services will not be available for the first 10 days of October. Workers should be back on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Even though private sector employees are ostensibly expected back to work on Oct. 6, some may opt to follow the government schedule.
This break comes at the end of the summer holiday season, and some critics say this quick succession of breaks is having an adverse effect on productivity. “This will affect the national economy,” said Bander Al-Abdulkarem, an economics professor at Prince Sultan University, who estimates that the Eid Al-Fitr break will cost SR2 billion daily in lost business.
Businessman Abdullah Al-Dayel said that the government sector should operate a skeleton staff during the break.
“We must find a mechanism to facilitate the citizens and business deals during the long holidays,” he said. “A number of private enterprises have to linger during long holidays to obtain licenses and conduct business meetings. Foreign investors wait to have their visas issued, and many more issues are delayed due to the long holiday.”
On the other hand, the travel and airline sectors don’t fare so badly as Saudis book holiday packages for the break.
“Flights are fully booked for the Eid holiday to most destinations, mainly Arab countries and Far East,” said travel agent Nasir Al-Serouju, adding that because of the summer vacation these trips are closer to home — in many cases Saudi families are traveling to domestic locations.
And while holiday breaks may have an adverse effect on doing business, at least one demographic in Saudi Arabia loves the idea of an extension to the Eid break: high school students. “It’s surprising news,” said pupil Turky Al-Rashid with a smile.
Other family members are equally pleased. “It’s a chance to share more time with the family, especially that Ramadan kept us busy with worship,” said Ghalib Al-Smairy, a father of eight who works at the Water and Electricity Ministry.
