12 May 2009 Press Release
 

Saudi Arabia takes regional lead in real estate

  • Text size
  •  
  •  

One million new homes needed in next five years as Kingdom's pent-up demand comes under spotlight at Cityscape Saudi Arabia
One million new homes will be needed in Saudi Arabia over the next five years as the Kingdom takes the leading regional role in real estate development and investment, say the organisers of Cityscape Saudi Arabia.

The unique potential of the Saudi Arabian market comes under the spotlight at Cityscape Saudi Arabia, a networking exhibition and conference focusing on all aspects of the development cycle, from 14-16 June 2009 at the Jeddah Center for Forums and Events.

High level figures in the Kingdom's hierarchy will be taking part in the event held under the patronage of HRH Prince Misha'al bin Majed bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Jeddah Province, who will also carry out the grand opening.

Among others will be Dr Abdullah M. Bin Mahfouz, Vice Chairman of the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, who will be providing the welcome address at the Cityscape Saudi Arabia Real Estate Development and Investment Conference. The opening day of the conference will also see a keynote address on the Jeddah City Centre Development by HE Adel Faqeeh, the Mayor Jeddah, and an address by Abdullah M. Hameedadin, the Deputy Governor of Economic Cities for the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.

The two-day conference will also feature a series of panel discussions on the impact of the global financial crisis on real estate investment and development in the Kingdom; updates on the regulatory system, legislation and mortgage law; Shariah and conventional opportunities in real estate investment; and the residential needs of the Kingdom.

"Anyone who doubts the potential for continued high levels of real estate investment and development in Saudi Arabia only has to examine some of the statistics," said Deep Marwaha, Event Director of Cityscape Saudi Arabia.

"With a population of 25 million people growing at 2.5% a year, Saudi Arabia is set to double its population in 28 years. In addition, 40% of Saudi nationals are under the age of 20 and 70% under 30. If that is not enough, 65% of families currently don't own a home."

The UK-based Architects Journal recently summed up the potential: "Uniquely among Gulf Cooperation Council states, there are an awful lot of people in Saudi Arabia genuinely looking to buy a building. Demand is variously quoted at 200,000 homes a year, with a current 500,000 home deficit and thus one million new homes needed within the next five years."

In addition, a new law, which will eventually allow mortgages for the first time, comes into effect later this year. Aggressive spending plans have also been announced for 2009 to take advantage of cheaper commodities such as steel which has fallen by 70% since last summer. However, the Saudi government is expected to be judicious in its spending, prioritising infrastructure and education.

Cityscape Saudi Arabia is aimed at regional and international investors, real estate developers, government and development authorities, architects, designers, consultants and senior professionals involved in the real estate industry. It will also be an arena to showcase projects and network with investors and developers from around the world.

The Cityscape Real Estate Awards will take place on 14 June 2009 and are aimed at recognising exemplary contributions to architecture and real estate development in the Kingdom. "All entries will be judged by an expert panel on their contribution to Saudi Arabia's architecture, culture, invention and imagination, respect for people and the planet as well as environmental awareness and appropriateness," said Marwaha. The winners will be declared at a gala dinner attended by senior executives and high profile guests.

More than 100 companies are expected to exhibit at Cityscape Saudi Arabia over 10,000 square metres of floor space, attracting over 5,000 participants, making it the Kingdom's premier real estate investment and development event. As well as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia, IIR Middle East's Cityscape events are also staged in Mumbai, Singapore, New York and Brazil.

Principal sponsor of Cityscape Saudi Arabia is Sumou Holding; founding sponsor is Ewaan Global Housing; inaugural sponsor is Aqarat Real Estate Development Company; gold sponsor is Manazel; silver sponsors are Dar Al Tamleek and Norr Group Consultants. The conference investment sponsor is Shuaa Capital. Supporters are the Royal Incorporation of Chartered Surveyors of the UK; the European Public Real Estate Association; the Asian Public Real Estate Association; and the International Real Estate Federation. International media partner is CNN International and regional media partner is Al Arabiya.

For more details, please visit: www.cityscapesaudiarabia.com

-Ends- 

Media contact
Nathalie Viselé
Director
Shamal Marketing Communications
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Office: +971 4 3652711
Direct : +971 4 3652712
Mobile : +971 50 4576525
Fax:+971 4 4278703
E-mail: nathalie@smc-pr.com
Web site: www.smc-pr.com

© Press Release 2009

from Shamal Marketing Communications
x DISCLAIMER

Zawya is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties and subscribers. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by those third parties, including information providers, subscribers or other users of the Service, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of the Company. The Company neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the Service by anyone other than authorized Service employee spokespersons while acting in their official capacities. The Company is not responsible for any infringement of intellectual property rights or breach of any applicable law or regulation, including regulation in relation to financial services or the distribution of financial products, defamation, data protection, telecommunications (including regulations relating to excessive use, spamming or other abusive activities) or obscene, offensive or illegal content). Under no circumstances will the Company be liable for any loss or damage caused by a member's reliance on information obtained through the Service. It is the responsibility of member to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through the Service. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.

Read the full Member Agreement
http://www.zawya.com/legal/NewsLetter.cfm?name=disclaimer
Access to this article is subject to specific terms and condition.
 
 

Post a Comment

 
  • Comment Title (optional)
  • Express your views or tell us more about this article
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Company Name (optional)
Leave this field empty
 
 
Zawya Comment Policy
 
  1. Zawya encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You agree that when you add content to this discussion your comments will not:
    1.1   Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
    1.2   Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
    1.3   Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
    1.4   Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
    1.5   Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
    1.6   Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
    1.7   Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.
  2. The content posted on www.zawya.com is created by members of the public. The views expressed are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Zawya. Zawya reserves the right to review all comments prior to posting and edit or delete any contribution, but Zawya is not responsible for and can not be held liable for any content posted by members of the public on www.zawya.com.
  3. Zawya is not responsible for the availability or content of any third party sites that are accessible through www.zawya.com. Any links to third party websites from www.zawya.com do not amount to any endorsement of that site by Zawya and any use of that site by you is at your own risk.
  4. By submitting your comment, you hereby give Zawya the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comments worldwide, in perpetuity.