Friday 18 / April / 2025
Muscat: Wake-up alarms were set for Sunday morning as the five-day Eid Al Fitr holidays ended and it was back to work mode for most citizens and residents in Oman.
The blessed Eid Al Fitr was celebrated across the Sultanate with gaiety and fervour last Wednesday with the holidays for public and private sector beginning on Tuesday. Citizens and residents held family get-togethers and exchanged Eid greetings with thousands of people enjoying the holidays by either visiting public parks or beaches.
Staycations were also a popular feature while many opted to travel for holidays to popular tourist destinations like UAE, Turkiye, Malaysia, Georgia or the sub-continent.
The Eid Al Fitr holidays began on April 9 and continued till April 13.
A large rush was witnessed at the Muscat International Airport on Saturday as people returned from a short break from neighbouring countries and home countries.
Cooler destinations up the mountains of Jabal Akhdar and Jabal Shams and neighbouring areas of Al Hamra had a good footfall while Wadi Dayqah dam, Wadi Al Arbaeen and Wadi Shab along with Sur, also saw a good number of visitors from Oman and neighbouring UAE.
“It was a good break to enjoy with family. Eid Al Fitr marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan and we celebrated Eid with a family gathering. It is a blessed occasion and we caught up with our family members in our farm in Al Rustaq,” said Mohammed Al Jabri, a government sector employee.
As the holidays ended, it is time to return to work for Amit Sharma, a senior executive in a private sector firm, who spent his holidays by spending a couple of nights at Jabal Akhdar.
“We thoroughly enjoyed the cooler climate up there. It was quite busy as a lot of people decided to enjoy the pleasant weather in Jabal Akhdar,” said Sharma.
“It was nice to visit dusitD2 Naseem Resort in Jabal Akhdar as they has the Adventure Park for our kids. They really enjoyed the activities in a safe and secure environment,” he added.
For tourists like K Aditya and his wife from Dubai, the allure of Oman’s verdant landscapes, epitomised by landmarks like Diana Point at the luxurious Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar Resort, left an indelible impression, sparking a desire for future exploration.
“The Diana Point, where Late Princess Diana once visited, was something we enjoyed the most and the landscape of Jabal Akhdar is just stunning. We would like to come again and explore Oman more with the beautiful wadis and beaches on the Sharqiyah coast,” said Aditya.
French expat Alexander Dubois who works for a private firm, said, “The Eid break was quite refreshing, and we went for a two-day staycation within Oman as the deals were good and we had booked early. We are back to work starting on Sunday.”
For Abhishek Kalla, a lawyer, the staycation at Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton Hotel, with his family was a relaxing and refreshing experience.
He said: “We did not go anywhere this time as we travelled last month. My two kids enjoy going to Al Bustan and we had a nice family time.”
It’s no news that ticket price is an important factor when determining holidays for many travellers in Oman.
Muscat resident P Ashok said, “I did not travel this time because ticket prices were quite high now, especially around Eid time. I plan to travel later when the rush subsides. But during the Eid break, I had guests come over from Dubai. We watched movies, stayed up late and also cooked together; all in all, it was quality downtime together.”
During the holidays, people flocked to popular tourist sites in Oman like Wadi Bani Khalid, Wadi Shab and many hundreds were seen on Muscat beaches.
There were a visible number of people eating out during the holidays as restaurants and cafes saw an increased footfall while different malls were packed to capacity with families and kids.
Vehicular traffic witnessed a significant increase on Saturday evening hours as citizens and residents started arriving in the capital city after spending Eid Al Fitr holidays.
Shopping malls and hypermarkets were also packed as people purchased essentials to prepare themselves for work from Sunday.
Despite the transition back to daily routines, the spirit of Eid lingered, evident in the continued exchange of greetings and the anticipation of future festivities.
