DUBAI - The managing director of Emaar Properties, Dubai's largest listed real estate developer, on Thursday said the company achieved first-quarter sales of 6 billion dirhams ($1.63 billion), Al Arabiya reported.

Mohamed Alabbar told the Saudi news outlet this was against sales of 2.5 billion dirhams in the same period last year. He said the numbers were promising and the property market has seen increased demand, particularly for villas, townhouses and homes with sea views. ($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)

(Reporting by Yousef Saba; Editing by David Goodman) ((Yousef.Saba@thomsonreuters.com; +971562166204; https://twitter.com/YousefSaba))