Coronavirus Takes the Shine Off Upcoming Muslim Eid Holidays
Photo Credit: A Muslim traveler taking picture of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Photo courtesy of HalalBooking
Skift Take
Those catering to the Muslim market were looking forward to a lucrative Eid-ul Fitr holiday season this year. Sadly, this is not to be.
It's not the world's largest annual human migration that Chinese New Year is. But Eid-ul Fitr, observed by 1.9 billion Muslims around the world, also sees mass movements of Muslims traveling home for family reunions, or going somewhere with the family for a holiday.
None of that this year.
For Muslims, while the joyful victory of completing a month-long daytime fasting remains, Covid-19 will take the shine off this year's Eid, a festive occasion marking the end of Ramadan.
The tourism industry, which will remember Lunar New Year 2020 as event interrupted, can write off Eid altogether. The Muslim peak travel season, which this year falls on the May 23 weekend, is a significant revenue earner for halal travel players. Among key markets are Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore in Southeast Asia, and Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, UAE and Abu Dhabi, where Eid public holidays can stretch to more than a week.
But with lockdowns and travel restrictions in place,
