Cairo: People in Saudi Arabia spent more than SR11 billion last week when Eid Al Fitr was celebrated, still marking a 31.4 per cent drop against the previous week, according to figures from the Saudi Central Bank.
The three-day festival, which marks the end of Ramadan, began this year on April 10 in Saudi Arabia. During the week running from April 7-13, people in the kingdom spent SR11.3 billion against SR16.5 billion in the previous week, the figures noted.
Restaurants and coffeehouses topped the spending list during the Eid holiday with SR2.1 billion or 17.3 per cent up against the previous week, followed by spending on food and beverages with SR1.7 billion.
Other spending aspects included SR1.3 billion on diverse merchandise, and an extra SR1.1 billion on clothes and shoes, reported Saudi news website Akhbar24.
SR375.9 million was spent on jewellery; while SR311.4 million was pumped into entertainment, SR74.9 million on telecoms; and SR315.4 million on transport.
In terms of geographical distribution, Riyadh’s residents took the lead in spending with SR3.2 billion, followed by Jeddah with SR1.6 billion, Mecca with SR634 million, Medina with SR560.9 million and Dammam with SR499 million, according to the report.
Eid Al Fitr is usually celebrated as of the first day of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, with family come-togethers, exchange of visits and travels.
In the run-up to the occasion, people traditionally shop for new clothes, perfumes and sweets while houses are adorned with colourful decorations.
