After years of international isolation and embargo, Libya has begun a slow process of opening its economy to the outside world. Foreign players are acquiring stakes in Libyan banks, household-name hotel brands are muscling in on the market and the world’s largest energy firms are queuing up to get their hands on Libya’s immense oil and gas reserves. On the back of this — particularly the record oil prices which have propelled impressive growth in the Libyan economy since 2003 — the real estate market is beginning to draw the attention of keen investor interests from Europe, the Middle East and further afield. The fundamentals look good, but with an unwieldy bureaucracy, an untried market and an uncertain political future, many developers are still hesitant to enter into one of the few remaining virgin markets around the Mediterranean. Potential awaits With a population of just over six million and some
