Leading property developer Nakheel said its flagship project in Dubai, The Palm Jumeirah, was the star attraction at the Luxury Property Show in Shanghai, where the Emirati group is looking to further expand its already-robust Far East and South-east Asia investor portfolio.

Thousands of people have visited the Nakheel stand since the show opened on Friday, with a healthy interest in the projects on sale, the company said.

Speaking to media in China, chief commercial officer Aqil Kazim, said: "Dubai is an increasingly popular city for investment from this part of the world. Two years ago, we had 600 investors from this region; today the figure has almost doubled to more than 1,100, with Chinese people accounting for 90 per cent of customers."

More than 200,000 Chinese people currently live in Dubai, with 50,000 residing at International City, the biggest Chinese community in the emirate.

In addition, 1,700 Chinese traders have invested in Dragon Mart, the world’s largest Chinese trading hub outside China, which welcomes 40 million visitors a year, he added.-TradeArabia News Service