Important! This article is written by orangesmile.com editors and is protected by copyright law. The article can only be re-used with a direct link to www.orangesmile.com

Hotels in Dubai will not sell alcohol on Valentine’s Day

St. Valentine’s Day, one of the most popular holidays, may become less romantic for tourists as they will not be able to get any alcohol in Dubai hotels. The reason for this decision is in the fact the 14th of February is just one day ahead of the prophet Mohammed’s birthday.

All sales of alcohol are restricted on the week of Mohammed’s birthday, so the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has already informed hotels and ordered them to inform guests as well. Currently many hotels in Dubai plan to make holiday activities one day earlier – on the 13th of February.

Mawlid an-Nabi or Mohammed’s birthday is one of most respected holidays in Islamic world. This holiday is calculated in accordance with Sunni calendar, which is lunar-based. This means, each year Mohammed’s birthday falls on different date. In 2010 it was celebrated on February 26 and in 2012 the holiday will fall on February 4.

Abu Dhabi government, as well as governments of other emirates, has not yet announced the prohibition of alcohol on Valentine’s Day.

Previous article / Back to news index

Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, news, and reports about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.