Dubailand is one of the world's most ambitious projects. CEO Mohammed Al Habbai reveals his hopes, his fears and the challenges of being the man in charge.
The challenges of building a project the size of Singapore would be too much for some. Not for Mohammed Al Habbai, CEO of Dubailand who insists he's in for the long-haul and he's here to stay.
"I have to do it. There is no way out. If you believe in something you will always do it and this is what I believe. I have always believed in Dubailand," says Al Habbai.
Al Habbai is the driving force behind Dubailand, a one-of-a-kind 3 billion sq ft development with total investment reaching a staggering US$64bn.
Dubailand, an idea first envisaged by the Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will set the stage for world-renowned attractions and big-name brands playing a major role in shaping Dubai and the region's travel, tourism and property sectors.
Dubailand is expected to attract 15 million visitors to Dubai by 2015.
"Dubailand will appeal and attract tourists to Dubai. It is the vision of His Highness and it is my vision. I think Dubai will be the future destination of the world."
"I believe this is for our country, this is for Dubai, it will be a very big part of Dubai and I do it for Dubai," he says.
This courageous CEO should know. He's worked in the travel industry for over 15 years in over 10 different countries before Tatweer launched Dubailand in October 2003.
To date, there are 20 mega projects and numerous other projects many of which are already under construction.
Despite speculation being rife that Dubailand will not meet its projected opening deadline, Al Habbai dismisses this.
"We are on track per our schedule and certain projects are ahead of schedule. So far, so good, as of now there are no delays," he insists.
The current mega projects include Global Village, Universal Studios, Dreamworks Animation, HIT Entertainment, Little Big Club, Six Flags, Marvel, Freej and Legoland.
Other projects to date include Al Sahra Desert Resort, Al Barari, Falcon City, Legends, Polo and Equestrian Club, Dubai Autodrome, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai Sports City, Formula 1 Theme Park, Palmarosa, Sahra Kingdom, City of Arabia and Dubai Wheel - all of which has its own project managers and directors while remaining under the leadership of Dubailand's CEO.
"We meet twice a month to ensure progress is made and every component is delivered according to our agreement. They cannot say 'we're not going to build a roller coaster now we're going to build a water park.' We need to make sure each project will complement each other," he says.
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