Dubai—With a long weekend on the horizon brought about by the Eid Al Adha holidays for the public and private sectors, retailers get ready for a busy week accompanied also by boost in sales.
Public sector workers will have five days off from Sunday, September 11, returning to work on Sunday, September 18. Meanwhile, those in the private sector will have three days off, returning on Wednesday, September 14.
“I think a lot of retailers were certainly anticipating a long break for Eid and that was certainly reflected with new malls like Barsha City Centre opening in time for next week,” Ashish Panjabi, chief operating officer for Jacky’s Electronics, was quoted by The National. “It will be busy as the schools have restarted, so most people are back from their summer holidays.”
The initial few days are expected to be the busiest due to the private sector’s three-day holiday.
Although tourists from other GCC countries are regular visitors to the UAE during Eid holidays, it is not certain how much of an impact they will have this time.
Due to a YouGov poll that showed 43 percent of UAE residents were planning to get away during Eid Al Adha, travel agents are also braced for a flurry of last-minute bookings in the run up to the weekend.
The National quotes Premjit Bangara, general manager of Sharaf Travel in Dubai, “We’re seeing interest in Georgia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Oman, as well as Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah for staycations.”
According to Bangara, more people are expected to opt for breaks closer to home, for the Eid Al Adha holidays are so close to the end of the summer season, hence people have just returned from long summer breaks. Staycations in UAE are expected then to increase.
However, deals are still made available for bargain-hunters, with a return ticket to London selling for Dh1, 650.
