By Waheed Abbas  www.business24-7.ae

Global investors put their faith in Dubai’s economy, making the emirate the first and most-preferred choice for future investments in the Middle East, according to an international survey released yesterday.

DUBAI Burj Khalifa
DUBAI Burj Khalifa

The survey by global management consulting firm AT Kearney said about 28 per cent of investors prefer to invest in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi (18 per cent), Egypt (15 per cent), Oman (eight per cent) and other Middle East states.

“Investors express confidence in Dubai’s ease of doing business, access to best-in-class infrastructure, advanced logistics facilities and safe environment. When asking those with investments in the region about their first choice for future investments, Dubai is the preferred destination,” AT Kearney analysts said in the report. “Dubai is a gateway destination, much like Hong Kong for mainland China and Singapore in Southeast Asia. And 81 per cent of those surveyed who have investments in Dubai plan to maintain or increase their investments in the next three years. Investors report confidence in Dubai’s ability to rebound from the global crisis.”

The emirate helped the UAE to maintain its ranking as the most-preferred destination in the Middle East, despite a drop of three rankings.