The GCC region imports almost 40% of its total tiles demand, with China, Spain, Italy, Egypt and India being the largest suppliers

The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) tiles market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 10-12% until 2020, driven by increasing demand in the residential and hospitality sectors, according to a report by Frost and Sullivan.
The GCC market for tiles was estimated at more than 450mn to 500mn sqm in 2014, out of which as much as 70% of the demand was for ceramic tiles, Frost and Sullivan said.
The region imports almost 40% of its total demand, with China, Spain, Italy, Egypt and India being the largest suppliers of tiles to the GCC.
Finding the GCC tile market as one of the most dynamic in the world with large-scale construction projects, Vibha Sawhney, senior architect and interior designer, head of Hospitality Design Division, Modo Milano Consultancy, said: “We are seeing here in the region leading to equally large-scale demand for quality building materials.”
The increasing importance of residential development in the construction mix and the desire for high-quality products is also influencing demand, the official said, adding with the region being home to a large number of high-networth individuals, there is a natural desire to deliver high standards and this is benefiting the regional tile market.
The GCC mega projects can benefit from a new line of sound-absorbing ceiling panels, according to industry experts.
In the build-up to World Expo 2020 in Dubai and 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, the GCC’s completed projects in residential, commercial, retail, medical, and education sectors are set to grow by 7.7% year-on-year to $72n in 2015, said a recent report by research firm Ventures Middle East.
The GCC countries are heavily investing in major projects from transportation, to financial hubs, and office towers — which require the most advanced interior design solutions to reduce noise and absorb sound, while contributing to a pleasing working and travelling environment,” Santhosh Vallil, senior sales manager of Hunter Douglas Middle East, the regional branch of international ceiling manufacturer Hunter Douglas, said.
Hunter Douglas is market leader both globally and in the Netherlands for innovative, aesthetic, high-quality window coverings, sun control systems and architectural ceiling and façade panels.
With the GCC’s interior contracting and fit-out sector set to reach $8bn in 2015, Hunter Douglas has introduced the ‘XLnt’ swing-down ceiling panels, designed for airports, train and metro stations, offices and other utility buildings in which architects wish to use large, flat finishing elements.
Thanks to the swing-down system across the width, each separate panel is easy to pull down, and causes minimal obstruction on the path beneath. As a result, installers and installers and technicians easy access to any part of the plenum space by undoing little clamps while the panel remains securely fastened,” said Martin van der Meijden, product manager — Ceilings, Hunter Douglas.