Dubai Expo 2020

Even if you do not live in Dubai you may have seen recent advertisements for a huge event which will take place here in one year’s time, EXPO 2020 DUBAI UAE. The honour of hosting this event was conferred by the General Assembly of The Bureau International des Expositions in November 2013.

We residents have been aware for some six years that this event was happening and as the impressive developments begin to take shape and global advertising is starting to kick in, we are getting more excited at the idea of hosting exhibitors from 190 countries at the World’s Greatest Show.

The first World expo took place in 1851 at Crystal Palace in London and was opened by Queen Victoria. EXPO 2020 Dubai UAE will be the largest event ever staged in the Arab world and will last for 173 days

With just 12 months to go we have now been introduced to the event’s cute mascots Latifa and Rashid and the robot ‘Guardians’ of the three huge EXPO Pavilions that will focus the themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability.

Opti is the guardian for the Opportunity Pavilion, Alif for the Mobility Pavilion and Terra for the Sustainability Pavilion. (Opti is a small yellow robot and has a heart of gold so he is obviously our favourite).

Meet all of these mascots here

Construction of the massive infrastructure is well underway and you can even follow progress by watching the latest drone footage of the sites here.

Once completed the EXPO site will cover almost 4.5 square kilometres in Dubai South District near to Al Maktoum International Airport. Following the EXPO the sites will be re-purposed to reveal District 2020, a globally connected hub to enable the next generation of innovators, pioneers and original thinkers to Connect, Create and Innovate.

Some of the predicted numbers associated with the EXPO are truly mind-blowing. An estimated 25 million visitors are expected during the 173 day event and the estimate for associated job creation is 275,000! The anticipated economic impact on Dubai could see the UAE stake a claim as one of the top 10 international financial hubs in the near future.

Despite the huge scale of the event, at its heart it is a festival and will be a platform where people from all over the world can come together and connect with each other, learn and innovate and share ideas. It has also been designed as a place where you can come and have fun.

If you are based overseas and have ever considered a visit to our beautiful country then EXPO 2020 Dubai could be the perfect trigger for your visit. Be sure to book early as the expected numbers of visitors is awesome. Whilst you are here, make sure that you add the World Famous Gold Souk in Deira Dubai to your Must See List. Pop in for a visit, we would love to meet you and to recommend a precious souvenir of your visit.

By iGold. Published on 1st November 2019.