Dubai Expo 2020-“Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”
Past few months have seen a lot of buzz around World Expo 2020 here in Dubai when the officials of the BIE
visited Dubai for the purpose of exploring the viability of Dubai as a venue for hosting World Expo 2020.
What exactly is World Expo?
Wikipedia defines World Expo as a Universal scale Registered Exposition time slot which can be sanctioned by BIE-Bureau of International Expositions, Paris.
Official Blog of Dubai Expo 2020.
Official Website of Expo 2020.
What are the benefits to any country if they host World Expo?
I believe, countries which bid for World Expo have solid grounds as to why they are interested to host.
- Image of the country will be uplifted. It is a unique image building opportunity for any country.
- New investments. This will provide an economic boost to the country.
- Expo 2020 is expected to see more than 25 Million visitors to the particular country.
- New jobs are created due to huge construction projects, Hotels and so on. Dubai is expected to create more than 270,000 jobs leading upto Expo 2020.
- It will be a boon to local hotels, restaurants which will see a huge influx of tourists and visitors.
- General infrastructure will be developed and re-developed.
I could perhaps list many more advantages of hosting the World Expo. But I will leave that to you.
Who are the contenders to Dubai?
Dubai has some serious competition who are bidding for Expo 2020:
- Izmir-Turkey
- Ekaterinburg-Russia
- Sao Paulo-Brazil
Why I believe Dubai will win the bid for Expo 2020?
Not that other contenders are less worthy to win, I believe, Dubai has a best chance to win the bid for Expo 2020 for the below reasons:
World Class infrastructure
Dubai has some of the world class infrastructure that will rival the best in the world. Starting from roads, bridges and so on. Government of Dubai, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has built such a wonderful city that is second to none. I am sure you will agree with me on this. Dubai airports compete with the best in the world.
Fantastic Public transport
It was only few years back that Dubai’s public transport was overhauled to create a sustainable city built around the needs of the population. Being a majority of expatriate population, Dubai was quick to realise the importance of building the public transport network that is the best. In leading upto this goal, Dubai Metro was built in a record time. And now it is the most preferred public transport for many. Besides this Dubai has also built a wide Bus services network to connect every corner of Dubai.
Connectivity
Name any other city in the world that is as well connected like Dubai when it comes to Air travel!! There is no doubt that Dubai is the ‘best connected city’ in the world when it comes to Air travel.
When I think of airlines, Emirates and Etihad (based in Abu Dhabi) come to my mind. Dubai is so well connected to the rest of the world, that major cities are reachable within 10 hours. What more do the tourists and travelers require? Emirates Airline connects to major cities around the world.
Mega projects announced
Dubai has already announced mega construction projects in around Dubai. Major one is the Mohammed Bin Rashid City.
Business Bay Canal project is another such announcement made by HH.
Mega Power projects announced by DEWA-Dubai Electricity and Water Authority
DEWA has announced major power plant in Dubai, mostly in preparation for Expo 2020. This power plant will be coal powered with a capacity of 1,200MW.
World Class Hotels
Dubai by far has some of the world’s best hotels with a range that suits anyone visiting here. The range includes choice of hotels starting from 1 Star upto 5 Star. Dubai is home to iconic Burj Al Arab.
Support from Giants
Dubai has garnered support from many countries. Major of them involves UK. With such support Dubai’s chances of winning the bid definitely increases.
Newspapers such as New York Times, Gulf News, Khaleej Times, The National have covered this topic in detail. This is another boost to the PR of Dubai and will definitely tilt the scale towards Dubai.
Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft also supported Dubai’s bid to host Expo 2020. What more reasons do we require? Watch Bill Gates talking about this here.
These are purely my thoughts, you may have other factors. Let us know through comments.
What about the competitors?
Sao Paulo-Brazil
I was fortunate enough to recently visit Sao Paulo in Brazil and I was amazed at their infrastructure. Though not as good as Dubai. Brazil however has few advantages:
- They have already built the infrastructure. Their Metro and Bus network is proven.
- Further, Brazil will host 2014 FIFA World cup and will host 2016 Summer Olympics. This goes to show the confidence of these organising committees of respective events about Brazil. This provides a very good chance to Brazil in winning the bid. However, ongoing political turmoil is not going the way of Brazil.
Ekaterinburg, Russia
I have no much information or knowledge about Ekateringan. However, Russia is hosting 2018 World Cup, which might boost their chances besides other aspects.
How can you support the bid?
You can support the bid in many ways:
If you are a company, you may Support the Bid this way.
Download Expo cartoon characters.
Be a part of the Expo-List of winners.
I wish All the Best to the Dubai Expo 2020 organising committee in all their endeavors. I am sure organising or even initial preparation to such an event is a Herculean Task. May they have success.
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