eid holiday
Change in Eid holidays hits expats’ travel plans
Web posted at: 10/16/2005 6:45:10
Source ::: The Peninsula
DOHA: The changed schedule of Eid Al Fitr holidays announced by the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing this year has affected the travel plans of several nationals and expatriates. They have urged the Ministry to revert to the old pattern of Eid holidays.
According to the announcement, Eid Al Fitr holidays this year will begin on November 2, which corresponds to the 30th day of Ramadan, four or five days late compared to the previous years.
For many years in the past, the holidays used to start on the 26th day of Ramadan and continue for 10 days.
The worst affected are expatriate employees of several ministries and government departments who have already made bookings with various airlines to travel home in the last week of Ramadan.
Travel sources said yesterday that they had been flooded with requests from people seeking a change in their bookings, though hardly any seats are available in the last days of Ramadan. Many expatriates schedule their annual vacation to start immediately after the Eid holidays so that they will get some 10 days extra leave.
The representative of a leading travel agency told The Peninsula yesterday they were under tremendous pressure from a large number of Ministry employees, who are begging for a change in the bookings.
He said the agency had hundreds of bookings from Arab employees of various ministries, especially the Ministry of Education.
“We are caught between the passengers and the airline companies. Now everyone wants to travel at the end of Ramadan but the flights are already full,” the sources said.
He added that some passengers even faced the prospect of losing their money, if they don’t travel on the confirmed dates.
A Keralite expatriate, working with the Ministry of Education, said he had already purchased a ticket to Calicut for October 28 (Ramadan 25) in the hope that the holidays will commence as in the previous years.
“Now it is nearly impossible to change the booking. The only alternative is to advance the vacation, which means that my leave should start before the Eid holidays. If at all an early leave is granted, I will surely lose the extra ten days," he lamented.
Meanwhile, Al Sharq daily has received several letters and telephone calls from nationals and expatriates, requesting the Ministry to revert to the old schedule of Eid holidays.
Some of them said the sudden change had affected their plans to go for Umrah to Saudi Arabia during the last week of Ramadan.
“The last week of Ramadan is of special importance to Muslims. So it is better to retain the old schedule of holidays so that people can devote more time for prayers as well as preparations for Eid," said a concerned national.
Web posted at: 10/16/2005 6:45:10
Source ::: The Peninsula
DOHA: The changed schedule of Eid Al Fitr holidays announced by the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing this year has affected the travel plans of several nationals and expatriates. They have urged the Ministry to revert to the old pattern of Eid holidays.
According to the announcement, Eid Al Fitr holidays this year will begin on November 2, which corresponds to the 30th day of Ramadan, four or five days late compared to the previous years.
For many years in the past, the holidays used to start on the 26th day of Ramadan and continue for 10 days.
The worst affected are expatriate employees of several ministries and government departments who have already made bookings with various airlines to travel home in the last week of Ramadan.
Travel sources said yesterday that they had been flooded with requests from people seeking a change in their bookings, though hardly any seats are available in the last days of Ramadan. Many expatriates schedule their annual vacation to start immediately after the Eid holidays so that they will get some 10 days extra leave.
The representative of a leading travel agency told The Peninsula yesterday they were under tremendous pressure from a large number of Ministry employees, who are begging for a change in the bookings.
He said the agency had hundreds of bookings from Arab employees of various ministries, especially the Ministry of Education.
“We are caught between the passengers and the airline companies. Now everyone wants to travel at the end of Ramadan but the flights are already full,” the sources said.
He added that some passengers even faced the prospect of losing their money, if they don’t travel on the confirmed dates.
A Keralite expatriate, working with the Ministry of Education, said he had already purchased a ticket to Calicut for October 28 (Ramadan 25) in the hope that the holidays will commence as in the previous years.
“Now it is nearly impossible to change the booking. The only alternative is to advance the vacation, which means that my leave should start before the Eid holidays. If at all an early leave is granted, I will surely lose the extra ten days," he lamented.
Meanwhile, Al Sharq daily has received several letters and telephone calls from nationals and expatriates, requesting the Ministry to revert to the old schedule of Eid holidays.
Some of them said the sudden change had affected their plans to go for Umrah to Saudi Arabia during the last week of Ramadan.
“The last week of Ramadan is of special importance to Muslims. So it is better to retain the old schedule of holidays so that people can devote more time for prayers as well as preparations for Eid," said a concerned national.
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