Why Americans Are Choosing Abu Dhabi Real Estate Over Dubai?

Bigger, greater, better. All the startup companies, oil companies, world-famous medical clinics, they all have head office, branch, or the only office in Abu Dhabi. Absolutely natural environment. It has a lot of natural islands. It's just beautiful. If we're talking about Abu Dhabi airport, which is big and luxurious, we're talking about 7.7 million quarterly coming through Abu Dhabi airport. I've done a few field trips there and I've been to the Louvre there, which is amazing, right? I've been there too. It's so beautiful. Attractions, basically, what attract people, how capital appreciation grows. It is because you have something to do. And this just goes to show about the UAE's diversity. It has a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. So you have Ferrari Park. You have Seaworld, which is, I've never seen something similar in the entire world, and I've traveled a lot. Of course, the entire world talks about Dubai real estate, but savvy real estate investors are looking even next door at Abu Dhabi. So today I wanted to have one of my OG's on The Dubai Connect podcast to talk a little bit about Abu Dhabi and why. All right, so stay tuned for this next episode. Cassenia, welcome. Thank you. How are you? I'm good. And you're doing well, thank you. So Cassenia, obviously Dubai, finally we're seeing the Americans understanding, right? And now we're seeing them at record numbers coming here and Canadians too. Yeah. To Dubai. So I'm not proposing we forget it, because we barely just got them finally understanding what's happening in Dubai. I wanted to ask you since you are so immersed in real estate as an investor yourself and as somebody who's been involved in construction and you're the general manager as well. What would pull someone to Abu Dhabi? First of all, Abu Dhabi is the capital. So capital means bigger, greater, better, right? So all the startup companies, all the new companies, old companies, oil companies, world-famous medical clinics, they all have head office, branch, or the only office in Abu Dhabi. The second thing is the music events, sports events, festivals, Formula 1, all the museums like the Louvre, all located in Abu Dhabi. Third thing, it's an absolutely natural environment. It has a lot of natural islands which are basically made by nature. It's not artificial. It's not man-made. So it's just beautiful. It's like the Maldives with the oasis with the mangrove trees with the natural, many, many natural islands. So it's just nice to hang out. So this is number three. All of this makes people consider now to invest in there because again they have now proper development plan, proper infrastructure. Again, all these museums, all these events, they attract a lot of people from all around the world. If we're talking about Abu Dhabi airport, which is a big, luxurious airport, we're talking about if you take statistics for the last year, 2024, we're talking about 7.7 million passengers coming through Abu Dhabi airport. Which is, it's a lot of people. Obviously it's a hub for so many people. But again, this is why it means it is one more attraction point. So now a lot of developers come to Abu Dhabi and they do communities there, and capital appreciation is very clear there. Investment potential is very clear there. I just wanted to say that it's a little bit different from Dubai. The majority of the people who live there, let's say, are European nationalities and family oriented. So it is so family-oriented. And to that point, I've done a few field trips myself because Abu Dhabi, how long does it take you? An hour. An hour. Yeah. But I've done a few field trips there and I've been to the Louvre there, which is amazing, right? I've been there too. It's so beautiful. And you could just sit back there in the coffee shop and you see the kayaks in the back, which I've never done and I want to do right now. So beautiful. But there's the coffee shop where you sit and it's just the architecture there. It's crazy. It's incredible. It's incredible. And there are some very well-known hotels there as well and resorts there. And then I have for example Santorini. Have you seen this? No. Okay. It's Anantara Santorini. So it's full white, so you don't have to go to Greece anymore. I would love to do that. Actually, that's what I was going to tell you. A lot of people in Dubai do their weekend getaways and they'll go either to Abu Dhabi or Ras Al Khaimah. Yeah. The only difference between Ras Al Khaimah and other emirates and Abu Dhabi is that in Abu Dhabi now you have things to do. So again, what I'm saying is you have attractions. Attractions, basically, what attract people. How capital appreciation grows. It is because you have something to do. It's not just a desert and not just a resort. Just a resort and that's it, right? Agree. Yeah. You have Sheikh Zayed Mosque, which is a world-famous attraction. So you have Ferrari Park. You have Seaworld, which is, I've never seen something similar in the entire world and I've traveled a lot. So you have Warner Brothers Museum now, Harry Potter Museum. So you have a lot of things to do for kids, for families, for all actually, not just for kids. For all family attractions. This is just amazing. And on top of this, you have all these events, the fights, formula races, music festivals, and stuff like that. Exactly. So I visit the Louvre, but I've also gone to the Abrahamic House. Have you ever been there? Where? It's called the Abrahamic House. It's the only structure like its kind in the world. And this just goes to show about the UAE's diversity. It is. It has a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. A synagogue. Yeah. And they were all strategically created in the same height and width. And you can go into each of the different houses of worship. And it's welcoming you. It's like a museum and an attraction, but it's about embracing the diversity, which goes to show how this area is what America is supposed to be, right? Where it's this diverse, many different nationalities, cultures, religions, multinationals. So I really loved that feeling. And there is a lot to do in Abu Dhabi in addition to the attractions that you mentioned. There's a lot to do. The airport, which I believe we saw 30 million, I think it was 30 million came through in 2025. And it was a 28 percent increase from 2024 compared to the previous year. Yes. In addition to all that, the conversations I've been having with people who are relocating, and you're right, they're Europeans, and they'll say, well we are going to relocate to Abu Dhabi, and I'll say, well, why Abu Dhabi and not Dubai? And they said, it's calmer. It's quieter. It's more peaceful. It's more because we're raising our children and family. So it's very diverse still there though. Yes, it is. It already has a lot of things to do there. And plus, again, it is the capital. Yes. So all the rulers of the UAE and everyone sit there. Plus it is bigger. It is natural. And now very popular. And that means investor opportunity. Exactly. And so as developers are now starting to accept, because up until now I believe Emaar was the main one and dominates the market, but now as we see more developers, the price per square foot is going to be less than Dubai. In Abu Dhabi it is less. It is less than in Dubai, which was lower on the island. Yeah. Okay. But it's going to be an opportunity for investors to get into a market that's growing, still at the early stages of global investing, and has something different to offer than Dubai. But you're still in the greater UAE. So yeah, that's why I just wanted to have you on just to do a little quick teaser and to know that things are going to start happening in Abu Dhabi for global investors. And I'm happy to help guide them and continue to have experts on the podcast to talk about the future in Abu Dhabi for anyone who might be interested. So thank you for joining me. I will say please make sure to like, subscribe, follow, and stay tuned for the next episode of The Dubai Connect podcast, which now I should say is The UAE Connect. Happy investing.