It is these foreign visitors who provide the lifeline for Bahraini businesses. In their absence business had come to a standstill. Dwindling revenues forced many companies to downsize and retrench employees. A number of large and medium-size hotels put staff on forced and unpaid leave. Many expatriates brought forward vacations because the Bahraini capital had ground to a halt after the daily protests.

“We were confused and clueless,” said Hisham Siddiqui, a Pakistani manager of a three-star hotel in downtown Manama. “As the protests intensified, the number of tourists went down drastically, drying up our income. We were left with no option but to ask our employees to go on vacation. Since we were not making any money there was no way for us to pay our employees, so we thought that was the best option.”

However, Siddiqui says things have improved over the last 10 days. “There is considerable activity, and the tourists are coming back. Now you can see happiness on our employees’ faces.”

Despite hotels forcing staff to take leave, not everybody left Bahrain.

Salimul Hassan, a Bangladeshi national working for the same hotel, said they stayed put in Bahrain and waited for the crisis to end. “There was no point in going back,” he told Arab News. “What could we have done going back? That would have entailed more stress. You go on vacation when you are good financially. You don’t go back empty-handed. Most of us stayed behind and cut our expenses. We would cook food at home and save as much as we could. Our perseverance has paid off, and now it seems Bahrain is well on the way to regaining its glory.”

On Thursday Bahraini newspapers were full of adverts for shopping malls and hotels announcing summer sales and holiday packages. Many retailers announced huge price cuts to lure customers back to malls.

Seef Mall launched its “Seef Summer Surprises” Thursday, offering sales promotions, events and family activities to spur business through to July 15.

“We have a wide range of unique activities and competitions lined up for people to take part in and enjoy together,” said Seef Properties General Manager Robert Addison. “We welcome all shoppers from Bahrain and abroad to come and make the most of what the promotion has to offer while relaxing and having fun with their families and friends.”

Sandeep Rastogi, a sales manager who works in Saudi Arabia but has family in Bahrain, told Arab News that it is getting back to normal. “I came to Bahrain from Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening, and I was pleasantly surprised by the large crowd at the King Fahd Causeway trying to get into Bahrain. This is the first indication that things are getting better by the day,” he said.

He expected Thursday to be even busier. A visit to the 25-km Saudi-Bahrain bridge by Arab News on Thursday confirmed that travel to the island was picking up, with hundreds of vehicles loaded with families traveling to Bahrain.

Rastogi said there is still an element of fear but noted people are beginning to relax. “We don’t see the kind of anxiety that we witnessed a few weeks ago. Everybody was on edge then. We had to watch our backs every time we went out. That is no longer the case.”

He said he went to City Center Mall on Thursday, and it was packed. “I had a problem finding a space to park my car. And the license plates of the cars told a very important story. Most of the plates indicated the cars were from Saudi Arabia, meaning the tourists have returned, and when the tourists return, business is back.”

Rastogi said if everything goes well then it should be business as usual in three or four days. “We are happy, and let me tell you that none of the 20 Indian families in the building in Juffair where we live left Bahrain. We stayed here and prayed for the return of complete normalcy. Our prayers have been answered, and this is a good sign for everyone.”

Bahrain has a population of 1 million, of which 400,000 are expatriates.

“There is nothing to fear anymore,” said one young Bahrain-bound Saudi at the causeway. “My brothers are already in Bahrain, and I will join them soon to spend our weekend in Manama.”

Those who regularly commute between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia told Arab News that despite a huge security presence, there are no checkpoints in the main business districts.

In fact, they said the presence of the security forces is reassuring. The area around the now-demolished Pearl Roundabout is completely off limits. “That area is ringed by security men, and nobody is allowed to go in there,” said a journalist working for one of the English-language newspapers in Bahrain.