Dubai is the largest city market for branded residences, accounting for 175 schemes – 68 of them live and 107 in the pipeline. This according to Knight Frank’s The Residence Report 2026-27, which counted 903 operational schemes worldwide by the end of 2025 and a planned pipeline of 900 more (over 300 000 units), by 2031.
WORDS & PHOTOS: SUPPLIED
To explore what can be replicated in Africa’s emerging market, API Events’ Dubai Africa Tour takes a delegation of 15 developers, investors, family offices, wealth funds and senior property professionals on a bespoke tour through Dubai from 16 to 20 November.
This follows a successful 2025 tour that took 25 delegates from six African countries through the city’s commercial, mixed-use and hospitality landmarks.
In 2025, 25 property professionals and investors toured Dubai’s real estate sector with API Events. Picture: API Events
“The 2026 edition narrows both the focus and the exclusivity of the tour group. With Savills putting the average premium for branded residences at 33% over comparable non-branded property, our delegates will have the opportunity to sit across the table from the brands, operators and developers who have successfully driven Dubai’s thriving market,” said API Events Commercial Director Murray Anderson.
“Dubai has withstood the current geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East and we’re excited to be taking a select group to explore the various models and trends within an asset class that is fast evolving, dynamic and resilient.”
Deal-making, knowledge exchange and best practice
Site visits and meetings are planned at W Residences The Palm, Royal Atlantis, Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab, Bvlgari Residences and Mansions, ELIRE by Lux Collective and One&Only Za’abeel, with a session on sales, marketing and mortgage access hosted by Huspy, developer meetings including BNW Developments and Select Group, and exclusive networking dinners and lunches.
“The exclusive investor mission is designed to build strategic connections between African property leaders and their Dubai counterparts, facilitating direct deal-making, cross-border capital flows, and knowledge exchange,” said Anderson.
Key technical elements of the programme include:
- Brand licensing economics, including fee structures, minimum commitments and the split between brand fees and operator fees.
- Operator agreements for the residential component, including management, rental pool and service provision.
- Owners’ association governance in mixed-use schemes, service charges, reserve funds, and how conflicts between residents and hotel operations are handled.
- Delivery risk under Dubai’s off-plan, escrow and RERA/DLD framework, compared with most African jurisdictions.
- Sales pace, buyer profile, and how brand affiliation affects resale pricing and secondary-market liquidity.
Tour details
Arrival: 16 November 2026
Tour: 17 to 20 November
Location: Dubai, UAE
Format: Delegation of 15 developers, investors, family offices, wealth funds and senior property professionals focused on branded residences and hospitality
Website and registration: Here.
Top picture: EMIRE, managed by Lux Collective. Picture: Lux Collective.
About API Events:
Africa Property Investment (API) Events is Africa’s leading B2B event and thought leadership platform for real estate investment and hotel development. Each year, its conferences, tours and experiences convene the most senior investors, developers, operators and capital providers in African real estate, create meaningful discussions and hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of opportunities for attendees and partners. The group’s high-impact events (across Africa and beyond) span capital-raising, deal-making, retail, multi-family, mixed-use, commercial and industrial, hospitality and lodging, and emerging asset classes.
One&Only Za’abeel Residences. Picture: One&Only.
