Dream weaver

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.The latest two developments to be announced is Legoland and The Gateway.

Legoland, popular with children the world over for its creative use of making interactive miniature cities out of building blocks is set to open for business in 2011 with construction slated to begin next year.

The development will occupy around 50 acres and is likely to cost about US$50m according to Nick Varney, Chief Executive of the Merlin Entertainments Group which boasts Legoland among its portfolio.

Dubailand will be the fifth destination for Legoland worldwide.

The Dubailand site is said to have plans for five or six themed areas where children can learn to ‘drive’ and get a ‘driving licence.’

A Pirate Land is also on the cards.

The Gateway, a sleek combination of silver and black twin towers will grace the entrance to Dubai Sports City.

This will be the first commercial property to be launched in the district.

Ground work will begin in the next few months and while the main contractor has not yet been announced, overall completion is estimated at around 24 months.

With a total investment of US$408m for the towers and space selling for US$435 a sq ft, The Gateway is aimed at the top-end of the market and is a commercial destination in its own right.

Arif and Bintoak Consulting Architects and Engineers, famous for high-end projects such as the Raffles Hotel at Wafi City have been brought in to create fabulous features and functions.

“Executives working at The Gateway will receive a full range of benefits that Dubai Sports City has to offer from retail, hospitality options, as well as easy access to our world-class sporting venues,” says Khalid Al Zarooni, president, Dubai Sports City.

World-class sporting venues are not an exaggeration.

Residents, visitors and dedicated sport fans in particular will be in for a treat once the five major sports venues that line a US$4bn city stretching across 50 million sq ft of land is complete.

A 60,000 capacity outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field along with a 10,000 seat indoor arena for court sports and a removable ice-rink are all on the plans.

A 25,000 capacity cricket stadium, a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium and an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Ernie Els will all be available for those needing time out from roller coasters and cartoon characters.In true Dubailand style, each project across the development is being backed and invested in largely by world-famous names, and Dubai Sports City is no exception.

Manchester United Soccer Schools, a David Lloyd Tennis Academy, a Butch Harmon School of Golf, a Global Cricket Academy, a World Hockey Academy and let’s not forget Mr Tiger Woods, (who has his own resort down the road) are all in place to further attract more residents, visitors and cash.

While construction kicks off on the plenitude of projects aimed at attracting tourists, local residents and expatriates alike must certainly be asking what benefits they are likely to see in the run-up to 2020.

“What do people living here do? Where do they take their kids? They take them to the shopping mall, the beach or the desert. What we’re going to create with Dubailand is not just theme parks, it will be educational too. City of Arabia will bring dinosaurs back to life. The Islamic Culture and Science Project will also be educational. Legoland will be attractive to families. I think it will all add value to Dubai,” he stresses.

From the start, Dubailand has emphasised its plan to produce ‘a quality of life and living’ across all its ambitious projects.

A recent law introduced by HH Sheikh Mohammed instructs those in the industry to enforce a decent standard of ‘green’ area per person.

International standards stipulate 8-12 sq ft. Dubailand has taken this further and will offer up 25 sq ft of green space per person.

To further maintain and uphold this quality, strict criteria has been put in place when it comes to selecting the companies with which Dubailand is prepared to do business.

“We are very strict because it is based on consumer needs and our consumer studies. We are targeting emerging markets such as India and China as well as everyone else. What we’re building here now is also for our future customers. We’ve had many enquiries from international brands. We’ll do our study on them and we’ll see,” he says.

It’s clearly not all fun and games in the world of fairy tales and make believe.

Questions surrounding the potential future increase in property prices, not to mention the city’s current lack of sufficient infrastructure remain at the forefront of discussion whenever Dubailand is mentioned.

“The price of properties is already going up even today. Demand is still there. Dubai is attracting and appealing to most investors from around the world.”

“I think maybe the prices will go up but I think it will reach a level where it will even out and then stay the same,” says Al Habbai.

As for public transport, Al Habbai insists the city will be well prepared for the potential influx of visitors by 2020 and immediate improvements should be seen within one year.

Dubailand is said to be working closely with the authorities and developers to ensure sufficient infrastructure is in place and the government is already spending money on the construction of the Metro and the widening of Emirates Road – home to Dubailand.

“It will be ready. We are working closely with the authorities to ensure that infrastructure is in place. We will have public transportation within Dubailand itself because whoever comes may not necessarily want to stay.”

“We plan to reduce the traffic impact. People can spend up to three hours on average in traffic. We aim to reduce this to 25 minutes because we aim to have people come here,” he claims.

While Dubai and the rest of the world looks on in anticipation to see if Mr Al Habbai can turn this mind-blowing concept into a dream come true, the CEO, with all his daily challenges and pressures, has only one main fear: manpower.

“Dubailand has to attract around 250,000 employees. This is going to be one of our biggest challenges but I think Dubailand will attract talent and we’re already working on it. People will want to have the stamp of Dubailand on their CVs, to be part of an internationally-recognised project,” he says.