Positioning of Mauritius in the international real estate markets

More than 70 delegates attended JLL’s second annual real estate conference in Mauritius on the 9th of November co-organised in partnership with HPP. The focus of this event was on the positioning of Mauritius within the international residential real estate markets. 

The event was opened by a keynote address from Dr the Honourable Renganaden Padayachy, the Finance Minister of Mauritius, which delved into how government could assist in attracting FDI into real estate in Mauritius and assured the sector’s stakeholders of their crucial importance into the Mauritian economy as well as the support from the government for them to succeed in their strategic objectives.

Simon Ardonceau, Head of Consulting for JLL Africa, delivered a bespoke presentation on global real estate investment trends and the impact thereof in Mauritius. The presentation focused primarily on main competitor residential real estate markets operating though residency through property investment schemes. Portugal was chosen as primary case study as this country has, since 2012, attracted USD 5.75 billion in real estate investment through its golden visa scheme and issued more than 10,300 visas for real estate investors – marking it as one of the most successful schemes in the world. An analysis was provided of the trends in residential investment schemes in Mauritius since 2010 and parallels were drawn between the key success factors of Portugal and the approach employed in Mauritius. The presentation concluded with the trends observed in international markets and showcased the potential impact of these on real estate investment in Mauritius. The conference concluded with a panel discussion on how to strategically position Mauritius in the international residential real estate markets. The subsequent discourse highlighted that while green shoots are emerging in Mauritius post-Covid there is potential for increased growth and that with supportive government policies in place, the private sector could help to realise Mauritius’ potential more fully.