Byram Dinshawji Avari (1942 – 22 January 2023) was a Pakistani businessman and twice

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

gold medalist. He was based in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

and owner of

Avari Hotels Avari Hotels International is a Pakistani international hospitality management company which operates five hotel properties in Pakistan, a duo in Dubai, and one in Toronto. History Avari Hotels was founded in 1944 by Dinshaw Avari. Avari ...

Early life

Byram Dinshawji Avari used to swim with his brother. They were trained in swimming by Chief Petty Officer (rtd.) Haji Allah-Ditta. Dinshaw and Xerxes along with the son of their coach, Zulfiqar Ali, were part of the Sindh swimming team. They trained at the Sports Complex Kashmir Road, Karachi, Pakistan.

Business concerns

Together with his sons, he owned and operated the Avari Group of companies, of which he was the chairman.

Hotel management ''Hotel Management'' magazine is a trade publication produced by Questex, LLC. History and profile The magazine ''Hotel Management'' was established in New York in 1922 by Ahrens Publishers. It absorbed or merged with various other hotel managem ...

is the Avari Group's core business. In Pakistan, the group owns and operates

which include 5-star deluxe hotels in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Sargodha Sargodha ( Punjabi and ur, ) is a city and capital of Sargodha Division, located in Punjab province, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's 12th largest city by population and one of the fastest-growing cities of the country. Sargodha is also known as ...

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

Faisalabad Faisalabad (; Punjabi/ ur, , ; ), formerly known as Lyallpur ( Punjabi, Urdu: لائل پور), named after the founder of the city, but was renamed in 1977 in honour of late King Faisal of Saudi Arabia. It is the 3rd largest city of Pak ...

and Now Avari Gilgat the 5-star Avari Towers and the seafront ''Beach Luxury Hotel'' in Karachi. The group is also actively pursuing opportunities for owning and/or managing 3 and 4-star properties elsewhere in Pakistan. The Avari Group is the first Pakistani company to have obtained international hotel management contracts: they operate the 200-room 4-star hotel in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

in the United Arab Emirates and manage the 200-room

Ramada Inn Ramada is a large American multinational hotel chain owned by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. As of December 31, 2018, it operates 811 hotels with 114,614 rooms across 63 countries under the Ramada brand. Name The ''Ramada'' name derives from t ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Pearson Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport , commonly known as Toronto Pearson International Airport, is an international airport located in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It is the main airport serving Toronto, its metropolitan area, and the surro ...

in Canada.

Honorary Consul

Avari was the Honorary

Consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throug ...

, or a diplomatic representative, for Canada.

Sailing

Avari was the Commodore of

Karachi Yacht Club The Karachi Yacht Club, formerly known as Karachi Sailing Club, is a yacht club located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. History It was founded in 1911 as Karachi Sailing Club. The Club's premises were originally situated at Manora. See also ...

in 1976 and again in 1980. He was a gold medallist in '

enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

class'

yachting Yachting is the use of recreational boats and ships called ''yachts'' for racing or cruising. Yachts are distinguished from working ships mainly by their leisure purpose. "Yacht" derives from the Dutch word '' jacht'' ("hunt"). With sailboats, t ...

at the

1978 Asian Games The 8th Asian Games () were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, in Bangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was de ...

in Bangkok with

Munir Sadiq Munir Sadiq (born 23 February 1955) is a Pakistani former sailor, a three-time Asian Games gold medalist, winning his first at the 1978 Games in Bangkok. and again at the

1982 Asian Games The 9th Asian Games ( hi, 1982 एशियाई खेल) were held from 19 November to 4 December 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

with his wife, Goshpi.Pakistan has impressive record in sailing: Asian Games in perspective
Dawn (newspaper), Published 22 November 2006, Retrieved 28 April 2019 He also won a silver medal at the Enterprise World Championship held in Canada in 1978.

Parsi Community

Avari was Chairman of the ''Karachi Parsi Anjuman''.

Personal life and death

Avari was married to Gosphi and had two sons and a daughter. Avari died on 22 January 2023, at the age of 81.

Awards and recognition

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award for Sports (Sailing) in 1982 by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Avari Hotels Avari Hotels International is a Pakistani international hospitality management company which operates five hotel properties in Pakistan, a duo in Dubai, and one in Toronto. History Avari Hotels was founded in 1944 by Dinshaw Avari. Avari ...

List of Parsis This is a list of notable Parsis. The Parsis constitute one of the two Zoroastrian communities of the Indian subcontinent, the other being Irani. __TOC__ In science and industry * Aban Pestonjee: Sri Lankan entrepreneur * Adi Bulsara ( ...

References

1942 births 2023 deaths Businesspeople from Karachi Parsi people Pakistani industrialists Pakistani Zoroastrians Pakistani hoteliers Pakistani socialites Pakistani male sailors (sport) Asian Games gold medalists for Pakistan Recipients of the Pride of Performance Sportspeople from Karachi Asian Games medalists in sailing Sailors at the 1978 Asian Games Sailors at the 1982 Asian Games Medalists at the 1978 Asian Games Medalists at the 1982 Asian Games {{Pakistan-yachtracing-bio-stub