The longest break of the year, Eid Al Fitr, vacations just ended, spanning over 9 days. In a few months, there will be another 5-day break for Eid Al Adha.
UAE residents can enjoy up to 3 vacations in a year, thanks to the country’s annual leave policies and official holidays. This year, in addition to the 30-day annual leave, employees get a minimum of 13 days off. Four of these holidays result in long weekends, with Eid Al Fitr being the longest break of 9 days.
5-Day Holiday: Get Ready for the Next Festive Break Eid Al Adha in the UAE.
Mixing vacations
Rend Alsaigh, a Sudanese pharmacist, likes to mix up her vacations. During short Eid breaks, she visits her brother studying in Georgia, combining family time with exploring a foreign country. “Usually during Eid, it’s difficult for my younger brother in Georgia to join us for Eid, so instead of him spending it alone I fly to him,” said Rend.
As for her annual leave, she tries to align it with the short breaks maximizing her time as she travels to her brother again and then to Egypt, where the rest of her extended family resides. Once she returns to the UAE, she takes the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate before resuming her routine.
Aligning holidays
As far as planning goes, some residents are making the most of official holidays for travel while reserving their annual leave for personal relaxation. Sharifa Al Sharyani, an Emirati from Dubai, prefers her official holidays for travel, particularly choosing Europe as her preferred destination during these breaks.
As for her annual leaves, as she always tries to choose them when she feels in need of a break from work, she said, “For my annual leave, I can control the timing, so I mostly rest at home. I use the time to recharge and rest and take care of my family.”
Same as Fatima Al Jallaf, an Emirati mother, prioritizes her annual leave to align with her children’s school holidays to spend quality time with them either at home or traveling. Regarding official holidays, she remarked, “During official holidays we always prefer to spend them at home.”
Demand for summer and short breaks
Raheesh Babu, the COO of Musafir.com, has observed that the demand for summer holidays and official holidays is almost equal. People tend to take summer trips during their annual leaves to visit their families and return to their home countries. Most bookings are made for destinations in India and the sub-continent, with the US and Europe following closely behind.
Short breaks are also increasingly popular, and the executive expects air travel demand to surge for the Eid Al Fitr break, as the festival occurs just before the summer vacation. He highlighted several factors that influence travel decisions for short breaks. Price is the most important deciding factor, followed by the number of days of leave people can get. Another deciding factor is how quickly they can obtain a visa for their destination. These considerations play a crucial role in travelers’ choices for their short getaways.
