The Middle East

A new aviation district in Dubai is set to spearhead growth across the maintenance, repair and overhaul industry, while strengthening the emirate’s position as one of the world’s largest air transport hubs.

While real estate sales in Kuwait exceeded $1bn in the first month of 2014, a shortage of housing at the lower end of the market continues to represent a challenge.

Following a year of modest growth, activity on the Qatar Exchange (QE) shifted up a gear in early 2014, with its benchmark index, the QE Index, exceeding 10,000 points for the first time in more than four years.

While Jordan’s tourism industry continues to labour under the weight of regional instability, with official figures showing a 14% decline in the number of visitors in 2013, a variety of novel initiatives could hold the key to recovery.

The recent approval of bids worth more than $12bn has paved the way for a major overhaul of two of Kuwait’s refineries, following costly shutdowns earlier this year.

Work on Oman’s national rail network – part of a wider system linking all the countries of the GCC – is picking up pace, with advanced planning work now under way and construction set to begin next year.