The UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation announced on Sunday that July 30 would be an official paid holiday for all private sector employees on the occasion of the Islamic New Year.
The announcement is in line with a decree issued by the UAE Cabinet to unify the number of holidays between the private and public sectors in 2021 and 2022.
Hijri, the Islamic New Year, is the day which Prophet Mohammed migrated from Mecca to Madinah.
Islamic holidays move on the Gregorian calendar each year, as the Islamic calendar is lunar. With the Islamic New Year falling during a weekend in 2022, on Saturday, July 30, those working in hospitality and retail who do not work normal weeks are most likely to benefit.
Earlier this year, during the Eid Al Adha holiday, flight and hotel searches and prices surged, as travellers looked to get away during the holiday. The timing coincided with travel disruptions in Europe and North America as airlines have struggled to handle the post-pandemic surge in travel demand. Disruptions are still ongoing.
Earlier this month, Dubai-based airline Emirates announced a busy summer schedule with 24,000 passenger flights lined up throughout July and August amid increased holiday demand.
With the increased flight loads, the demand for travel insurance has been rising. This week, Policybazaar, which deals with travel insurances, said the company saw a 150 percent increase in sale of travel insurance policies in the April-June quarter of 2022 in the UAE market.
The surging demand for travel insurance policies comes amidst the mounting labour troubles at some of the busiest airports such Heathrow and few other airports in Europe, leading to large-scale flight cancellations and long flight delays.
Increasing incidents of lost and missing luggage are another major reason driving up demand for travel insurance – along with an ongoing return to pre-pandemic habits and holiday travel. In April 2022, nearly 220,000 bags were ‘mishandled’ by US airlines – meaning they were lost, damaged, delayed or stolen – according to recent data published by the US Department of Transportation.
Follow us on
