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Jones Lang LaSalle, an international property consultant company, expects Indonesia’s property sector to keep flourishing on the back of strong domestic demand and improving investor confidence following a series of credit rating upgrades.

“In Asia, the middle class is growing rapidly, consumer spending is rising,” said Colin Dyer, president and chief executive officer of the Chicago-based company, in an interview with the Jakarta Globe.

Indonesia’s economy grew 6.5 percent last year, the fastest expansion since 1996, as domestic consumption helped shield the country from the global economic turmoil.

Despite the global economic turbulence, growth in household consumption, which typically accounts for about 60 percent of the nation’s economic activity, accelerated last year to 4.7 percent from 4.6 percent in 2010. In a nation of around 240 million people, average per capita income rose 18 percent to Rp 31.8 million ($3,600) last year from Rp 27.1 million in 2010.

Higher economic activity has also led to strong growth in office demand in Indonesia, specifically in Jakarta.

Todd Lauchlan, Jones Lang LaSalle’s country head for Indonesia, said demand for offices “has been exceptionally strong in the last 12 to 18 months.”

In its January research, Jones Lang LaSalle said demand of offices market in Jakarta’s central business district, last year increased 78 percent to 420,000 square meters. That figure represents the highest level ever in Jakarta’s history for the office markets.

The CBD is among the busiest areas in Jakarta, encompassing main roads such as Jalan Sudirman, Jalan Thamrin, Jalan Gatot Subroto and Jalan Professor Dr. Satrio.

Jones Lang LaSalle reported that in non-CBD areas, demand for offices was strong in 2011, up 154 percent to 143,000 square meters from a year before.

In the high-end residential property market, the number of condominiums sold in the capital doubled last year to 8,500 units, the consultancy said.

Lauchlan said Jones Lang LaSalle would try to at least “double” its business in Indonesia in the next five years, declining to provide statistics. He said the company is “keen to grow across all segments of services it provides” as clients are likely to grow their investment in Indonesia.

Fitch Ratings and Moody’s Investors Services in the past few months raised their ratings on the country’s sovereign debt by one notch to the lowest investment grade, helping to boost confidence in investing in Indonesian assets.

Jones Lang LaSalle also offers services in lease management, investment and commercial sales, international project marketing, property and asset management, research, residential project sales, retail, tenant representation and valuations on property.