Emin Agalarov: Sea Breeze is developing as an international investment and tourism ecosystem

One of the key areas of development for the Sea Breeze resort city remains the creation of modern entertainment infrastructure and the hosting of international-level events. The project's venue regularly hosts investment and economic forums with the participation of foreign partners and business representatives. The project is actively working to expand its international presence.

As reported by AZERTAC, this was shared by the founder of the Sea Breeze resort city, president of Agalarov Development, and chairman of the Azerbaijan-Russia Business Council, Emin Agalarov.

"Government representatives, economy ministers, investors, and partners from various countries come to visit us. We are actively attracting international brands, restaurants, and hotel chains," he noted.

According to him, today Sea Breeze is gradually moving beyond the scope of a local project and is taking shape as an international brand associated with modern Azerbaijan.

Speaking about new development directions, the entrepreneur announced the launch of the Sky Views mountain project.

"It will be a full-fledged mountain resort with 35 ski slopes, a hotel designed in the style of an ancient castle, chalets, and apartments. Some of the properties are already available for sale," he said.

E. Agalarov also reported that the company is considering the implementation of projects outside Azerbaijan, including in Uzbekistan and Montenegro. The Portonovi project was cited as an example, with total investment approaching $1 billion.

"Over the past two years, Sea Breeze has transformed from a local project into a large-scale international ecosystem," the entrepreneur noted.

According to him, elements of the Sea Breeze concept are already being applied in projects outside the country.

"This is already a complex international configuration, but we have ready-made investment packages — liquid, attractive, and with high returns," he emphasized.

Regarding the investment model, E. Agalarov stated that the project provides returns starting from 15% per annum and potentially up to 50% over three years through internal guarantee and buyback mechanisms.

"We are compiling a list of properties in residential and commercial complexes across the entire project territory. It is a combination of liquidity, investment attractiveness, and capital protection through the buyback mechanism," he explained.

The entrepreneur paid special attention to the role of state support in the development of the Caspian region.

"The most important thing is state support in matters of roads, electricity, water supply, sewage, and gas. This is precisely what enables the project to reach an entirely different level of development," E. Agalarov noted.

In his opinion, sustainable water supply and the development of environmental infrastructure are of particular importance for the project.

"Previously, we did not have sufficient access to water. We used seawater desalination, but the capacity was limited and the costs were very high. In summer, we had to bring in up to 500 water trucks daily," he said.

Today, the project is connected to a centralized water supply system that utilizes mountain water resources and reservoir infrastructure.

"For large-scale landscaping, a stable water supply is critically important. Even a week without water can cause serious damage to the entire project ecosystem," the entrepreneur stressed.

He reported that additional reservoirs are currently under construction, which will ensure autonomous operation of the system for at least two weeks in case of disruptions.

E. Agalarov also spoke about the changing structure of investors.

"The first investors appeared about five years ago. Before that, we mainly worked through local financial instruments and banks," he noted.

According to him, today the greatest interest in the project comes from investors aged 35 to 45.

"These are people who understand the rhythm of the project," the businessman said.

At the same time, the guarantee system remains an important element of the investment model.

"We offer a minimum guaranteed return, as well as potential property value growth driven by infrastructure development — casinos, medical clusters, and new facilities. Even if an investor's expectations do not fully match the outcome, a buyback mechanism with a positive return is in place," he emphasized.

According to E. Agalarov, the model is designed to preserve investors' capital with a guaranteed minimum return threshold and the potential for further growth.

"That is precisely why we are becoming increasingly attractive to international investors, family offices, and private capital. Moreover, the project's own residents are gradually becoming its investors," he added.

The entrepreneur identified entering the global capital market as one of the company's strategic objectives.

"We are capable of absorbing virtually any volume of investment. Today, we are developing approximately 750 hectares under construction. More than 4.5 million square meters are simultaneously in progress, which in monetary terms amounts to approximately $10 billion. We plan to complete all of this in about three years. The project's total investment portfolio is at least $100 billion, which we intend to attract over the next ten years," he added.

According to him, the project involves the development of a territory spanning 1,850 hectares and the construction of approximately 30 million square meters of various types of real estate — hotels, apartments, villas, commercial properties, educational infrastructure, and other facilities.

"As soon as investments come in — whether $10, $100, or $500 million — we can promptly launch new projects, since all urban planning and state documentation has already been prepared," the entrepreneur noted.

He emphasized that the availability of ready-made engineering infrastructure significantly impacts the efficiency of development.

"When infrastructure worth $500–600 million has already been created, real estate becomes significantly easier to sell, as it is immediately integrated into an established environment," E. Agalarov said.

The entrepreneur separately addressed the issue of international brand recognition.

"Today, the problem is not the product itself, but recognition. The 'Emin' brand is very well known in Russia, while the Sea Breeze brand is not yet sufficiently recognized," he noted.

According to him, the key principle for attracting investors remains personal acquaintance