Dubai, UAE — The covid-19 delayed Dubai Expo 2020 has hit its final month with the number of visits going up to 20 million – more than half of Ghana’s population.
The organizers aimed to stage the biggest public gathering since the start of the pandemic – by pushing to attract 25 million visitors to the global event which has brought together some 193 countries and territories within a 438-hector site.
But with the curtain almost two weeks away from being drawn down, frantic efforts are being made by the organizers to hit and exceed its visitor target of 25 million. Prices have been slashed to half in addition to free entry for children among several visitor-driven campaigns.
The six-month long event is hosting the largest participating countries ever in the history of the global exposition – with each country and territory showcasing its cultural and touristic endowment, as well as economic and technological advancement in architecturally awe-inspiring pavilions.
Driven by foreign investment and tourism promotion, the government of the United Arab Emirate has spent some 7 billion dollars in the planning and development of the site – which took nearly 10 years to complete.
In keeping with the United Nations Millennium Development Goal, the exposition site is divided into three main districts such as sustainability, mobility, and opportunity.
As one explores the Sustainability District, one gets exposed to some of the world’s most advanced technology being deployed in championing environmental sustainability in a high tech future – and how the two can co-exist in harmony.
The Mobility District presents initiatives and ideas that create connections that drive the world forward by building bridges between the physical and digital worlds in order to realize a “harmonious global society where information, ideas and goods are exchanged faster than before”.
The Opportunity District displays the inter connection between our lives and actions – by presenting the initiatives of some individuals and organizations who are “transforming dreams and aspirations into the realities of tomorrow” – in order to empower people to unlock their inner potentials.
While some countries – mainly advanced nations display their pavilions in the form of huge, state-of-the-art architectural master pieces, other countries – mainly less developed ones, had to partition spaces in the huge generic pavilions – mainly metallic structures reserved for such use.
However, the most attractive pavilion on the site is that of the United Arab Emirates – a huge white bird-shaped structure which opens and closes its wings much to the enigma of visitors.
Saudi Arabia also displays yet another huge pavilion – a structure which signifies a window – sliding from ground up -signifying openness and tolerance. As ANA goes to press, the Saudi Pavilion has been selected as the best pavilion at the expo.
Interspersed with the exposition are dozens of events – including national days of various countries – where either the president or the highest government official of each participating country attends – along with the Ruler of Dubai or any high government official – where the president or high ranking official speaks about the history of the country, its trade and tourism offers, and future prospects – after showcasing its traditional music and dance by the country’s national ensemble.
Dubai Expo2020 will officially draw down the curtain on March 31. However, eighty percent of the site will remain intact – to be turned into District 2020 – designed to augment the future of living and working, while facilitating collaborations on various human endeavors towards addressing the issue of climate change. It will host major international conferences, summits and workshops among many others.