UAE pulled off a ‘spectacular’ Expo 2020: BIE chief

UAE pulled off a ‘spectacular’ Expo 2020: BIE chief

Expo's 23 million on-site visitors and 197 million virtual guests are a testimony to how the Emirates has exceeded all expectations

A huge crowd waits outside the pavilions in Expo2020 Dubai on Monday. March 21, 2022. Photo by Shihab

Published: Thu 31 Mar 2022, 4:36 PM

The Expo 2020 Dubai has exceeded expectations and went the extra mile to create one of the most memorable expos, overcoming several challenges posed by a pandemic that has rocked the world.

Dubai's Expo has shown what an ambitious country like the UAE can achieve, putting the Arab world and the Middle East on the world map while raising the bar for future Expos.

In the final press briefing of Dubai Expo 2020, Dimitri Kerkentzes, Secretary-General of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), said, "For the Arab world, the Middle East, North Africa, it is vital for every corner of the planet to host this type of events. We strive to ensure that these events are not restricted to certain countries. It needs to be truly global. It's unfair that the Middle East has never been able to show itself what it truly is, not what we read all the time in the newspapers but to show what the