Al Mazaya weekly report believes the
Gulf economies are more and more
seen as safe havens for investors
all over the world, from all types
of financial background – either
individual or corporate. In short, there
are few better places in the world to
invest – a factor that is self-sustaining
in terms of making the region’s
real estate sector highly attractive.
A useful international city with
which to compare the Gulf cities is
London, the capital city of Britain.
Mazaya Monthly Real Estate Report - May 2014
3
However, there are many other fierce
competitors for London to consider.
China’s property sector is currently
enjoying a period of uninterrupted growth
that has lasted more than a year: prices
have recorded more than seven percent
gains in some one hundred Chinese cities.
Chinesecitizensbuyapartmentsasahedge
against economic inflation: a factor that
underpins the market and keeps demand
strong. China has also done much work to
enable foreigners to invest in real estate.
We believe all indications are that Chinese
real estate will continue to perform well in
2014, particularly in the residential sector.
London has long been seen as one of the
most atractive destinations for investment
in the world, a favourite destination forArab
investors since as long ago as the 1970s.
Of all foreign real estate investments
made in Britain last year, 47 percent were
in London and the value of investment in
commercial real easte was worth some
$33bn. London is seenas a safehaven, and
property purchased there achieves strong
returns. It is therefore highly sought after.
The population will grow by more than
15m people, the economy is performing
well, consumer spending is high and
the market is accessible. For Arabs, the
opportunities are abundant: almost 60
percent of foreign investment in China
over the last twelve months has come
from the Middle East, while 20 percent
has come from Europe and America.
At home, the United Arab Emirates
has created an extremely attractive
environment in which investors can
put down roots and grow businesses.
There are few, if any, more attractive
destinations in the world in this respect. It
is no wonder, then, it is able to compete
favourably with China and Europe.
