Johoreans embrace their new official weekend holiday for family fun and recreation

MALAYSIA: With the introduction of the new official weekend holiday on Saturdays and Sundays, Johoreans are taking full advantage of their extended time off to explore local attractions and enjoy quality family time.

According to MalayMail, one of the top destinations drawing crowds is the Johor Zoo, a favourite spot for parents and children alike. Some visitors even arrive an hour before the zoo officially opens at 9 am, eager to kickstart their weekend adventure.

Among them is 29-year-old Nurul Nadira Ismail, a Sekolah Agama Desa Pulada teacher, who visited the zoo with her husband, Muhd Irfan Zekri. The couple had planned their outing two weeks in advance, as they used to struggle with mismatched weekend schedules.

“Previously, I had my weekend on Friday and Saturday, while my husband’s was on Saturday and Sunday. We often had to take time off work or plan if we wanted to go anywhere together,” shared Nurul, who hails from Kota Tinggi.

“Now that we share the same weekend holiday, it’s so much easier to plan outings and spend time together without any constraints,” she added.

Similarly, Daniel Nanang, a 36-year-old supervisor in the oil and gas sector, expressed his relief over the change. Daniel, who has lived in Johor since 2005, said his family’s vacations were often delayed due to conflicting schedules between his weekends and his children’s school holidays.

“Before, my weekends were on Saturday and Sunday, but my children’s school holidays were on Friday and Saturday. It was challenging to plan vacations,” explained Daniel, a father of two from Miri, Sarawak.

With the new weekend holiday, he is thrilled by the opportunity to spend more time with his family, praising the state government’s decision to strengthen family bonds and allow for better quality time together.

The shift to the Saturday-Sunday weekend came on the heels of a royal decree by the Regent of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, who announced on Oct 7, 2024, that Johor’s weekend would revert to Saturday-Sunday starting Jan 1, 2025.

This decision was made with the approval of Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, and after careful consideration by the Johor Islamic Religious Council.

Prior to this change, Johor had observed Fridays and Saturdays as the official weekend since Jan 1, 2014, a move that aligned with the schedules of other states such as Terengganu, Kelantan, and Kedah, which continue to maintain the Friday-Saturday weekend.

As Johoreans now embrace the Saturday-Sunday weekend, local attractions like Johor Zoo are expected to see an even greater influx of visitors as families rediscover the joy of shared weekend experiences.