ISLAMABAD: In one year from now, Dubai will host its Expo 2020 with 25 million visitors expected to attend the six-month event, UAE ambassador to Pakistan, Hamad Obaid Al-Zaabi said at a ceremony organized by the embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday to launch the countdown.
Expo 2020, which will begin on October 20 next year, is the first mega event of its kind to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.
“We are very proud and excited to host the Dubai Expo 2020. This mega expo would be the first of its kind in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. One year is left for this event and 192 countries are going to participate in the event,” Al-Zaabi told Arab News.
The event will “coincide with the UAE’s 50th anniversary in 2021” and act as a global six-month “celebration of creativity, innovation, humanity, and world cultures”.
Last week, all seven emirates transformed into one giant carnival as the country began its one-year countdown to the Expo 2020. At 8.20 pm on October 20, 2019, the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, was turned into a countdown timer, to mark the exact time the next expo will be launched in Dubai next year.
With pavilions representing different countries, the expo – which is being seen as the platform for the UAE to mark itself on the world map of leading innovators – will feature 60-plus live shows per day, more than 200 dining outlets, state-of-the-art technologies, A-list entertainers, unique cultural experiences, stunning architecture, and much more.
Al-Zaabi said that the UAE government is eager to welcome Pakistani businessmen and expatriates in Dubai to make the most of the opportunity by actively participating in the event.
“It is the best time for Pakistani people, government and business community to participate and show the opportunities of investment in Pakistan,” he said.
The UAE is home to more than 1.7 million Pakistani nationals, making them the second largest expatriate community in the emirates.
“They (expat Pakistanis) are very excited to see a big Pakistani pavilion in expo 2020. We have a plan to organize a different function every month to promote, advertise and attract Pakistanis for Dubai Expo 2020,” Al-Zaabi said before expressing his gratitude to the wise leadership of the UAE for its vision to improve the future of the country and the region as a whole.
