An Examination of the Attractiveness of Gulf Cooperation Council Real Estate Markets to Potential Global Real Estate Investors

As globalisation of investments increases, global real estate investors might have to consider other emerging markets apart from those of East Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. There is, therefore, the need to start developing a better understanding of other markets like those of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Middle Eastern region. The aim of this paper is two-fold: (a) to provide an overview of the GCC economies; and (b) to explore the key cross-border barriers and the attractiveness of such real estate markets to global real estate investors. The paper is part of an ongoing research project investigating investment decision-making and strategies adopted by global real estate investors when venturing into emerging markets, particularly, the GCC region. Primary data collected through interviews with practitioners in the real estate industry in Europe, specifically the UK and Luxemburg, as part of a pilot study and secondary data are presented and discussed. The analysis shows that global real estate investors are determined to invest in different attractive parts of the region particularly, Saudi Arabia. However, the decision to invest in the region is affected by various factors like lack of transparency, difficulties associated with finding appropriate local partners and lack of knowledge about the potential of GCC markets.