AJMAN // Ajman can start being more "picky" about who it allows to invest in the emirate, says Sheikh Rashid Bin Humaid, a member of the ruling family entrusted with helping to develop the relatively quiet stretch of coastline into a thriving tourist destination.
Over the next five years, the population of Ajman - currently about 207,000 - is expected to increase by 50 per cent, while 5,000 new hotel rooms should be ready by 2011.
A Dh12 billion (US$3.27bn) international airport is scheduled to open in 2011, and the Government is setting up a tourism authority to market the emirate. Ajman has only one five-star hotel, the Ajman Kempinski, but the establishment is already planning a major expansion to handle growing demand.
In an interview, Sheikh Rashid, who is in his early 20s, notes that the Crown Prince, Sheikh Ammar Bin Humaid, "wants everything done yesterday".
"The other emirates," he says, "wonder how we're doing these huge developments in such a small emirate. It's all about the leadership."
Foreign investors from the Gulf, Europe and East Asia are pouring money into projects, Sheikh Rashid says. "If you look at the growth in the population and the size of projects such as real estate, industry, education, tourism and health, it is out of proportion to the size of Ajman.
"In the past few months, we started shortlisting investors. We chose those who have a good track record and a good reputation in the market. As time passes, we can start being picky. At first, we couldn't be like that. We just needed people to start investing.
"The rules, regulations and laws of Ajman are straightforward, clear and fast and that attracts people to the emirate."
Nevertheless, he concedes that Ajman struggles to offer tourists the same kinds of entertainment already available in some other emirates: "At the moment, after staying in a hotel here there isn't a lot to do so we know the importance of bringing foreign services.
"In the next two years, there will be four new hotels here. We have a beautiful museum which is undergoing an expansion programme and there are three shopping malls under construction now, too.
"Over the coming years there will be a heritage centre and two old-style souks are also under construction." The emirate also recently unveiled its second-largest project - the redevelopment of its marina in conjunction with Tanmiyat, a Saudi company.
The development, which will allow only low-rise buildings, is expected to be ready within five years. It will include 500 berths for yachts, restaurants, shops and housing for thousands of people.
"It was designed in a way where it's very comfortable for people. We got the idea from international marinas like Portofino in Italy. We don't want it to look like Dubai, where it's made up of towers," says Sheikh Rashid.
He did not reveal the cost of the marina redevelopment, but indicated it was dwarfed only by the emirate's Dh220bn Al Zorah project, which will cover 10 square kilometres along the coastline and include a self-contained city. The project is being developed by Al Zorah Development, a joint venture between the Government and the Beirut-based Solidere International.
Sheikh Rashid adds that he and the Crown Prince are very aware that "credibility in the market is crucial".
Instead of trying to mimic Dubai, they are determined to create a more European feeling to attract a different kind of tourist.
"In other emirates, there have been promises but no delivery. That only deters exactly what we need, foreign investment and tourism," says Sheikh Rashid, who adds that visitors should feel comfortable and welcome in the scenic coastal town. "Alcohol and dress codes are all issues we thought about a long time ago. There is no benefit to me or the other person if I make a Christian wear my Muslim clothes.
"If I go to another country, I want to keep my culture so I expect to give foreigners in this emirate that right too." The new tourism authority is expected to be another major step in the process.
"All components and services of tourism will be clarified under one body," he said. "Many tourists get ripped off, for example, when they travel to other countries as they don't know basics such as the prices of things such as accommodation.
"There is often no clear system where tourists can find out all this information. Under our new plans, this information will be available all over the world. We would never want our tourists to leave Ajman with a bad impression about the emirate or its services," says Sheikh Rashid, who is overseeing the creation of the body.
"Tourists bring tourists. Word of mouth is the best advertising - and it's free."
The construction of Ajman International Airport is, according to Sheikh Rashid, "a symbol that Ajman is now ready for major change and a bustling tourism industry".
"It's a challenging project because it's being done in a rural area, which, in the next three to four years, will have become a developed area.
"It's a town owned by Ajman, but it's about 60km away, towards Fujairah.
"The idea is to build the airport and to have a huge free zone terminal to handle big quantities of import and export.
"We had the UAE's first private port, then we had the UAE's first private sewage company and now we have its first private airport.
"When you rely on international experts for these things, they add a lot of value to these projects and put you on the worldwide map."
@Email:mswan@thenational.ae
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
Meydan card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) Group 2 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
