Expo 2020 Dubai welcomes 411,768 ticketed visits in 10 days

Agencies | Dubai

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Expo 2020 Dubai has welcomed 411,768 ticketed visits in its first 10 days since the start of the first World Expo being held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region.

Visitors belonged to 175 nationalities, with one in three visitors coming from abroad. A number of ticket options are open to visitors, with Multi-Day and Season passes proving popular. One in five visitors has already visited the expo more than once, according to statistics released by the organisers.

In this context, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "The numbers achieved in the first 10 days reflect the enthusiasm of the world to attend Expo 2020 Dubai. We are very happy with this wonderful turnout.

"The coming days and weeks will be full of special events offering a visitor experience that will be purposeful and entertaining, and we look forward to welcoming many more people from around the world," she said, quoted by UAE news agency WAM.

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary-General of Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), said, "The numbers we are seeing are very encouraging and demonstrate the global desire for people to reconnect with each other and to imagine a better future."

Joseph K Issa, Commissioner General of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "We’ve been really busy since the show opened, with a constant flow of visitors every day. People genuinely seem interested and inquisitive about what we have to offer and we are delighted to bring a flavour of Timor-Leste to visitors, businesses and investors."

Doreen DeBrum, Ambassador and Commissioner General of the Marshall Islands at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "This is the first time we’ve had our dedicated pavilion at a World Expo, and it has been fantastic to share the best of the Marshall Islands with so many visitors. We’ve been delighted with the reaction of people so far."

The announced figures include all physical ticket-holders. They exclude representatives, delegations and guests of international participants, partners and other stakeholders, as well as Expo staff.

Virtual Expo, virtualexpodubai.com, launched on September 30 with three million people watching the Opening Ceremony live, has seen a further five million visits on October 1-10.

Expo 2020 Dubai runs until March 31, with 200 pavilions in total for visitors to explore.

In addition to the attractions at each location, there are multiple daily events, with panel discussions and cultural performances.