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Dubai — an entirely different place today
DUBAI — The facilities available in Dubai prove that it is more developed in some aspects than many other developed countries, claims a long-time resident and well-known figure in the travel trade here.
Running the Arabia Travel Agency successfully for the past 27 years, Tanvir Khawaja says that it is only because of the vision of the rulers of Dubai that the city has become what it is today.
“Being from the profession and as I remember, Dubai Airport's open sky policy in the 1980s had already made it a popular and busy destination,” he says.
"I have seen Dubai grow as a tourist hub, and might have played a small part in its growth," he says.
A resident of the city for over 29 years and a prominent decision-maker in the Pakistani community, Khawaja has chosen Dubai as his home. “I have grown with the city,” he noted.
“In those days, there were hardly any long-haul flights. Therefore, Dubai was the ideal stopover for flights between Europe and Far East,” he recollects.
He also says that during those times Dubai airport was the most convenient stopover with maximum facilities available to any airline and passenger, hence the success and non-stop growth.
Recalling the 1970s, Khawaja says that the only five-star hotel in the UAE was the Intercontinental while others that made their presence felt included Airline Hotel and Ambassador.
“For people who loved eating out late at night, only Qader Hotel, owned by a South Indian in Sabkha, was known. It was a popular landmark and people often fixed up appointments mentioning it as a landmark,” he says. “Besides, the bazaar was also a meeting place for blue-collar workers especially on Fridays,” he adds.
By the end of 1980s, the construction boom had set in, he says, adding: “Other than the World Trade Centre (WTC), prominent landmark was the Hyatt Regency Galleria Hotel."
On his first meeting with the then ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Khawaja recounts: “In 1978, Gulf Wings Travel Agency, for whom I used to work, opened a branch office in Sheraton Creek, which was inaugurated by Shaikh Rashid. This was my first meeting with a ruler.”
“Today Dubai is a totally different place. I have had the chance to travel worldwide, and I can say with surety that the facilities available in Dubai prove that it is more developed than several other developed countries. In all these years, I have seen several people leave Dubai heading towards the US and the UK, but being a Muslim, I opted to stay on here because it satisfies my religious needs as well,” says Khawaja.
"Dubai has truly given me a lot — socially and financially. It has also given me the chance to serve it. All credit to Dubai and my growth is because of the vision of the rulers," says Khawaja, who is also an executive committee member of the Dubai Travel and Tour Agents Group, besides being a prominent representative of the Pakistan Business Council.
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