Dubai and the wider UAE are still seen as the top GCC property investment destination. Karim Sahib/Pool/Reuters
Dubai and the wider UAE are still seen as the top GCC property investment destination. Karim Sahib/Pool/Reuters

UAE remains most favoured real estate investment destination



The UAE has kept its position as the most desirable country for GCC real estate investment in the Middle East, according to the latest Real Estate Barometer poll conducted by YouGov for Cityscape Global.

At the same time, Dubai came out as the most popular city for Middle East homeowners and investors.

The poll was conducted ahead of the Dubai international property event Cityscape Global that takes place from September 11 to 13 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

"The research findings give us a great insight into the current market conditions and certainly help us and our exhibitors to set forecasts for upcoming real estate investment expectations," said Tom Rhodes, the exhibition director of Cityscape Global.

Of the GCC home buyers and real estate investors surveyed, some 45 per cent said that when it came to buying property globally they felt most comfortable investing their money in the UAE, up from 42 per cent in 2016.

When asked where they would spend money most on real estate in the region, some 63 per cent of GCC buyers chose this country.

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The bullishness on the UAE, and especially Dubai – which 69 per cent of respondents chose as the go-to city for real estate investment in the region – comes at a time when property prices have been declining due to a slowdown in regional economic growth. Still, the poll showed that while respondents expected price decreases in the short-term that they were upbeat about the long-run.

"The 2017 study indicates a minor decline in sales and rental property prices in the UAE but overall real estate investment sentiment for the UAE looks positive," said Kailash Nagdev, the managing director for YouGov in the Middle East region.

"Respondents are telling us a strong regulatory framework, good supply of residential properties at different price points and the upcoming Expo2020 will be the key drivers of a healthy outlook for Middle East real estate."

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CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections" 

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom" 

The specs

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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

if you go

The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to ­Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
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Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

 

 

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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