Talaat Moustafa: Real Estate Demand will Continue for 30 Years to Come

Signing ceremony of the Digital Transformation Partnership (Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG))
Signing ceremony of the Digital Transformation Partnership (Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG))
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Talaat Moustafa: Real Estate Demand will Continue for 30 Years to Come

Signing ceremony of the Digital Transformation Partnership (Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG))
Signing ceremony of the Digital Transformation Partnership (Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG))

Egypt's real estate sector contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) would be stable at 17 percent in 2019, and for the 30 coming years, the sector is not likely to collapse or enter into “real estate bubble”, according to CEO of Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG).

"There won’t be any real estate collapse or real estate bubble," Talaat Moustafa said at a press conference in Cairo during the signing of a partnership agreement with Huawei Technologies for smart cities.

The real estate market in Egypt has been affected by the decline in purchasing power as a result of the rise in prices since the floating exchange rate in November. However, real estate companies maintain an increase of 10-20 percent per annum.

The main concern is to provide luxury housing units of villas and apartments, for people with the highest income, and units for middle-class valued at no less than $56 thousand dollars.

Asked by Asharq al-Awsat about his predictions for the real estate sector and its share in the GDP, Mustafa indicated he expects its stability at 17 percent this year, like last year, but the sector's direct and indirect contribution to GDP will reach 29 percent.

Officials have been concerned with the increase of the sector’s share in GDP, fearing a real estate bubble, which will be reflected negatively on the rate of economic growth.

However, Moustafa explained that the population of the age group between infants and 30 years represents 65 percent of Egypt’s population, meaning that when they get married, they will form 32 million families over the next 30 years, meaning 32 million housing units, after excluding the mortality rate and the percentage of housing increase.

He added that with the government regulating the slums, the annual demand will be at least one million units."Are we currently offering a million housing units (yearly)? … Then there won’t be a real estate bubble… There won’t a real estate collapse.”

The market needs new methods of payment that meet the current levels of income, so there are long-term repayment terms with appropriate interest, pointing to proposals to support interest rates through sources outside the state budget, in the real estate sector, according to Mustafa.

The Group signed a partnership agreement with Huawei Technologies, which aims to start the digital transformation of living for the first time in Egypt and the Middle East. This collaboration paves the way for a strategic partnership for developing TMG’s projects using Huawei’s latest digital technology.

The agreement comes as the first step towards building a strong partnership between the two sides. Huawei will start providing its innovative technologies in the group’s upcoming projects, in order to transform them into smart cities.

Huawei’s regional enterprise president Michael Li sees the partnership as an initial step toward the advancement of urban communities in Egypt, by transforming the cities and projects of Talaat Moustafa Group’s into smart cities.

Huawei’s Public Affairs and Strategic Communication Director, Hala Aranda, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the company has established about 160 projects in 40 countries and deeming that the collaboration with Talaat Moustafa Group to create smart cities in Egypt for the first time will pave the way for creating smart cities in several new regions.



Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

 A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Fire, Smoke Upend Western Canada’s Summer Tourism Season

 A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A helicopter works a forest fire outside of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, on Friday July 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Severe wildfire seasons are increasingly hurting western Canada's lucrative tourism industry, with some visitors beginning to avoid the busy late-summer months due to concerns about uncontrolled blazes, smoke-filled skies and road closures.

After a scorching start to July, nearly 600 wildfires are now ablaze across British Columbia and Alberta, including a huge fire that this week devastated the picturesque tourist town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies.

Dozens of communities, including popular holiday spots in British Columbia's Kootenay region, are under evacuation orders and several highways are closed.

This year's surge in wildfire activity comes after Canada endured its worst-ever year for wildfires in 2023, when more than 15 million hectares (37 million acres) burned, including parts of the city of West Kelowna in the heart of British Columbia's wine region.

Ellen Walker-Matthews, head of the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association, said the industry was seeing a lot more last-minute travel decisions instead of booking in advance.

"It's a huge blow. July and August are traditionally the busiest months in the region," said Walker-Matthews, adding that while her region has been relatively unscathed by wildfires this summer, some visitors are choosing to avoid interior British Columbia altogether.

The members of the British Columbia Lodging and Campgrounds Association are reporting a 5-15% drop in bookings from a year ago, with the biggest declines coming from the hotter Okanagan and Cariboo regions, said Joss Penny, who heads the association.

"The concern is that this is something we have to live with and we have it every year now," said Penny.

Although wildfires in Canada's forests are natural and common, scientists say drier, hotter conditions fueled by climate change are leading to more volatile and frequent blazes.

'SMOKEY SKIES'

Some events, like the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival, usually held in August, have now been rescheduled to earlier in the summer to avoid what is now seen as peak smoke season. The festival, which was cancelled last year due to nearby wildfires, was this year moved to July to benefit from "less smokey skies."

Wildfires and extreme climatic events are prompting tourists to "change their plans not just temporarily, but permanently," said Elizabeth Halpenny, a tourism researcher and professor at the University of Alberta, noting that seasonal workers in the sector are often the hardest hit as they have few protections during a bad season or amid a cataclysmic fire.

Tourism contributed C$7.2 billion to the British Columbia economy in 2022, and C$9.9 billion to Alberta in 2023, according to the latest government data.

Jasper National Park is one of Canada's premier tourist destinations, with more than 2 million visitors a year flocking to see its pristine mountain landscapes and abundant wildlife, including grizzly bears, moose and elk.

Kelly Torrens, vice-president of product at international tour company Kensington Tours, described western Canada as a bucket-list destination. But the company now has 49 trips that were supposed to pass through Jasper this season in limbo. Six others were forced to evacuate the park when the fire hit.

Parks Canada has cancelled all camping reservations within Jasper National Park until Aug. 6 and with potentially 50% of the town's structures destroyed by fire, the cleanup and rebuild could take years.

Halpenny is among those hedging their bets.

"I've booked a campsite stay in the mountain parks but at the same time, I booked a campsite out on the prairie somewhere and that's my backup plan because I don't want to miss out on my vacation with my family."