Real Estate Foreign companies push up cost of Riyadh’s scarce office space Rental rates in Riyadh’s office sector rose by up to 36 percent in the first quarter of this year as a result of increased demand from foreign companies and occupancy rates approaching 100 percent. Three quarters of all enquiries for office space directed to the real estate company Savills in the first three months of […] May 20, 2024
Analysis Aviation Airport chiefs size up ways to meet GCC airspace demand The annual number of air travellers to and from the Middle East is projected to pass the half-billion mark next year, meaning aviation authorities need to both expand and streamline use of available airspace, senior GCC airport chiefs have told AGBI. Oman is in talks with a neighbouring Gulf state to unlock a new air […] May 16, 2024
Opinion Infrastructure Sponge cities are the low-hanging fruit of flood mitigation The question of what this arid desert country can do to avoid a repeat of April 16 is an urgent one May 14, 2024
Real Estate Overseas buyers dominate in Sharjah’s reformed real estate Overseas buyers in Arada’s two mega-developments in Sharjah have vastly outnumbered locals in the year-and-a-half since the emirate expanded full real estate ownership rights to non-GCC nationals. From when Aljada, Sharjah’s biggest mixed-use project, launched in 2017 until the land reform of late October 2022, Emirati nationals bought more than 63 percent of the value […] May 13, 2024
Construction Drake & Scull losses narrow before return to trading Dubai contractor Drake & Scull International has trimmed its losses in the first quarter of this year as it nears the end of a drawn-out capital restructuring process. The Dubai-based utilities and infrastructure engineering company said in a press release accompanying disclosures to the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) that revenue jumped 55 percent year on […] May 9, 2024
Tourism Tourism chiefs call for GCC-wide events calendar Gulf Cooperation Council nations should co-ordinate their event schedules to avoid overlaps and entice tourists to make multiple stops in the region, officials have said at the Arabian Travel Market conference. The six GCC governments – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – are exploring ways to co-operate on tourism, including a […] May 9, 2024
INTERVIEW Banking & Finance Wealth manager seeks Gulf growth despite setbacks in UK St James’s Place, the UK’s largest wealth manager, plans to target local customers to expand its one-year-old Gulf operation as it seeks to brush off reputational setbacks in its home market. In February SJP disclosed that it had set aside more than $500 million for potential client refunds after an increase in complaints about its […] May 7, 2024
Aviation Boeing’s ‘negative issues’ are top concern for FlyDubai CEO Escalating regional tensions and recent floods in Dubai have “not especially” affected FlyDubai’s operations, but the low-cost airline’s chief executive said he was closely monitoring US plane maker Boeing’s response to a string of safety scandals. “We are definitely very concerned about the delays and all the negative issues that are in the pipeline or […] May 7, 2024
Analysis Aviation Luggage, airspace and size: challenges for Dubai’s new airport Sizing, air traffic control and passenger handling are among the challenges Dubai will face in building the world’s largest airport within the next 10 years, industry experts tell AGBI. Authorities announced last month plans to expand Al Maktoum International into a facility that will handle 150 million passengers annually within a decade, and eventually 260 […] May 6, 2024
Real Estate Demand for beach plots sells 80% of The World villas in days An ultra-luxe villa community planned for Dubai’s The World Islands is more than 80 percent sold only days after first being announced, thanks to the dearth of available beachfront plots in the city. The boutique developer Amali Properties, co-founded by siblings Ali and Amira Sajwani of Damac Properties, said last week that the community will […] May 5, 2024
Economy Flooding dents UAE business confidence but optimism remains Business and consumer confidence in the UAE was hamstrung by last month’s heavy rain and flooding, leading to the slowest increase in orders since February 2023, according to a business sentiment survey published on Friday. Private business activity in the non-oil sector still showed significant growth in April amid a “robust” economic landscape and the […] May 3, 2024
Real Estate Ultra-luxe villas tipped to revive interest in Dubai’s The World Amali Properties plans to build 24 homes in the South American section of the island development May 2, 2024
Analysis Aviation Dubai’s airport ambitions ramp up local and global rivalries Dubai’s plan for a massive new airport intensifies the regional aviation race, while reinforcing the Gulf’s bid to overshadow its European and Asian rivals. The emirate’s authorities over the weekend approved the expansion of the cargo-focused Al Maktoum International into an airport ultimately capable of handling 260 million passengers a year. The new airport will […] May 1, 2024
Real Estate Aldar’s Egyptian sales unhindered by war and economic risk Real estate developer Aldar says geopolitical and economic volatility is not affecting its expansion in Egypt. The Abu Dhabi-listed company acquired its Egyptian subsidiary Sodic in December 2021. Since then, sales have risen by more than 50 percent on a dollar-basis, Faisal Falaknaz, Aldar’s chief finance and sustainability officer, told reporters on Monday. “What has […] April 30, 2024
Analysis Infrastructure Flooding puts spotlight on Dubai’s population growth Extensive flooding caused by the historic April 16 storm highlights the challenges the Dubai authorities face as they work on increasing the population by 2.5 million people by 2040. With an increasingly erratic climate, the key for local authorities will be managing that growth closely, industry professionals told AGBI. “The growth in itself is not […] April 26, 2024
ANALYSIS Infrastructure Rain harvesting could help Dubai offset a stormy future If last week’s floods made improving drainage a necessity for Dubai, the reward might come in the form of more natural water resources, provided the emirate can boost rain harvesting efforts, industry observers tell AGBI. “The main idea for countries, especially in drier areas, is to try to reuse water as much as possible,” says […] April 26, 2024
Infrastructure Concrete or sponge? Dubai’s post-flooding options In the wake of last week’s floods, retrofitting Dubai with traditional, concrete-based drainage systems would be expensive, time-consuming and complicated. As an alternative, authorities should look to nature-based solutions, industry professionals told AGBI. “Dubai should not repeat the mistakes that have been made in most of the Western world,” said Ronny Berndtsson, professor in water […] April 23, 2024
Analysis Construction Saudi Arabia pushes to end construction payment issues The construction industry in Saudi Arabia is still plagued by payment delays but the kingdom has made significant efforts to improve workflow among developers, contractors and subcontractors to resolve what is a global problem. Cash flow and payment problems trigger claims or disputes in more than a third of all projects in the kingdom. This […] March 12, 2024
Video length: 06:07 Analysis Giga-projects Big events take priority for stretched Saudi builders There will be delays in delivering Saudi Arabia’s massive construction pipeline in time for 2030, but projects directly linked to specific international events such as the Asian Winter Games in 2029 will take priority, industry players told AGBI at the Big5 conference in Riyadh last week. About $1 trillion in giga-projects are under way across […] March 7, 2024
Analysis Construction Foreign expertise vital for Saudi construction Saudi Arabia’s construction industry needs more foreign involvement if achieving its Vision 2030 goals is to become a reality, according to attendees of the Big 5 conference in Riyadh. In the first half of 2023 alone $44 billion worth of new projects were awarded in the kingdom’s $140 billion construction sector, according to real estate […] February 29, 2024
Tourism Saudi Arabia hits tourism target seven years early More than 106 million tourists visited Saudi Arabia last year, surpassing the kingdom’s 2030 target and prompting it to set a new goal of welcoming 150 million annual visitors by the end of the decade, according to the Ministry of Tourism. Achieving the milestone target of the Vision 2030 economic roadmap seven years early cements […] February 28, 2024
Analysis Construction Localisation shields Saudi builders from Red Sea crisis Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have been disrupting the construction supply chain into Saudi Arabia but companies, in particular larger ones, are adapting to the challenge. Since November, the Yemeni militia has launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels on their way to or from the Suez Canal, forcing many global shippers to […] February 28, 2024
