Opinion

Hear our experts’ take on the latest developments and trending topics

18 November 2024

Owners Associations in the Gulf – a key to value creation

The need for Owners Associations From time immemorial, humanity has wrestled with the problem of multiple ownership in a single asset. One of the most successful solutions has been share ownership in a company, which works well for manufacturing, service, and many other types of enterprise. Real estate has also seen a similar kind of solution: joint ownership, where a […]
24 October 2024

What are the prospects for Saudi tourism?

The evidence to date The need to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil has never been in doubt. Saudi Vision 2030 envisaged tourism playing a central role in that process. The plan originally set what was regarded as an ambitious target of 100m domestic and international tourists by 2030, but immediate success resulted in this being revised upwards to […]
9 October 2024

Is the system of hotel rating still fit for purpose?

The evolution of a system  Hotel ratings were originally introduced to enable potential guests to understand the overall quality of places where they might choose to stay and the range of facilities available. Later, they acquired significance as valuation tools for hotel brands, as well as for the properties themselves. Studies have analysed the individual willingness to pay across ratings[1] […]
6 August 2024

Value through infrastructure development: The case of Gulf ports

The rise of Gulf ports The history of seafaring throughout the Gulf is well known. The construction of the famous Arab dhow and the existence of extensive fisheries across the region in what are now the countries of the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia are part of a proud tradition that urban planners wish to capture. More recently, Gulf governments […]
24 June 2024

Natural disasters, resilience and value

The impact of natural disasters Recent adverse weather conditions in the UAE have focused attention on the impact of natural disasters on real estate. This includes impacts associated with climate change, such as flooding caused by changes in precipitation patterns and also the potential impact of rising sea levels, increasing heatwaves and regional droughts. However, the events in the UAE […]
26 April 2024

Private equity and real estate in the gulf: Three reasons to be positive

Introduction: Why private equity matters Worldwide, private equity funds closed deals worth $124 billion in just the fourth quarter of 2023. Fully a quarter of all merger and acquisition deals last year involved private equity.[1] As concerns over inflationary headwinds, rising interest rates and general macro uncertainty diminish, markets such as the Gulf have become increasingly attractive. The prospect of […]
15 January 2024

A new era for real estate dawns in Oman

The context for Oman’s real estate boom Real estate as an engine for economic growth The importance of the real estate sector in any nation’s economic and social development is no secret. For years, construction has been celebrated as a pivotal economic driver, and in recent decades we have seen developed economies evolve from industrial and service-oriented development to what […]
24 October 2023

Valuing luxury real estate in the Gulf

Understanding luxury Luxury is a concept as old as philosophy itself. It has stirred debate for centuries. From the musings of Plato to modern economic thinkers like Werner Sombart and Thorstein Veblen, interpretations of the concept of luxury may differ, but they all seem to agree that luxury is an important aspect of society. Sombart championed luxury’s central role in […]
9 October 2023

Dubai’s hospitality sector in a post-pandemic world

A swift recovery and return to sustainable growth   What’s behind the remarkable post-pandemic performance of Dubai’s hospitality industry? Despite the curveballs thrown by COVID-19 and recent global conflicts that disrupted travel worldwide, Dubai is defying the odds and emerging as the superstar of the tourism world. In the first half of this year, a staggering 8.5 million globetrotters chose […]
22 June 2023

Does sustainability pay? How is the Gulf integrating global best practice?

Perspectives on sustainability Architects, planners and regulators alike all favour sustainable buildings, each with good reason: to design, shape and order new developments that will benefit the planet and improve the environment. The upcoming COP28 Conference in Dubai,[1] and the prioritisation of carbon emission reductions through the circular economy as an integral part of 2023 as the Year of Sustainability,[2] […]
18 January 2023

How effective is real estate as an inflation hedge? A perspective from the Gulf

GCC Inflation: perception and reality At the beginning of 2023, the consensus perspective is that the global economy is far from out of the inflationary woods yet. After a global average of 8.8% last year, opinions now diverge as to the curve of the downward trajectory this year, from the IMF’s global estimate in October 2022 of 6.5%1, to a […]
22 March 2022

Bahrain F1: The long term economic and real estate benefits

Bahrain was first to build a track and host a Formula One (F1) race in the region, but there was competition. The UAE, Egypt and Lebanon were all potential alternative candidates, but in 2002 the FIA came calling and Bahrain beat their internal competition, as a result of a firm commitment to deliver a race by 2004. It was of […]

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