For those who can plan ahead, 2017 looks like being a bumper year for holiday weekends and “pontes” – the word used to create a break in the week, using a day to link Bank Holidays with weekends.
Público explains there are five ‘long weekends’ due next year, as well as six opportunities for “pontes”.
The former involve weekends with either a Friday or Monday Bank Holiday alongside them, and the latter are moments when Bank Holidays are either on a Tuesday or Thursday – giving workers an excuse to ‘take a day’ that can instantly be turned into a four-day break.
While employers may be mopping their brows with frustration, employees will be studying their options carefully.
Three of the year’s long weekends however come next December – not exactly the right moment for lazy days on the beach.
Nevertheless, Francisco Calheiros, president of the confederation of Portuguese tourism, said the dates “are privileged occasions for the Portuguese to travel and eat away from home”.
For a full list of the nation’s upcoming 12 public holidays for 2017 see dinheirovivo (click here) which interprets the looming calendar as a ‘threat to productivity’.
