ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is expecting a substantial increase in exports to Gulf states after Expo 2020 Dubai, the country’s commerce chief said on Thursday, as the Pakistani pavilion at the world fair is attracting large numbers of visitors.
The Expo is the first world fair to be held in the Middle East, with Dubai, the region’s tourism, trade and business hub, hoping to boost its economy by attracting 25 million business and tourist visits to the exhibition built at a cost of around $6.8 billion.
The exhibition opened on October 1 and will run through March 31, 2022.
Pakistan is one of over 190 countries showcasing their cultures and innovations and looking to the Expo — the first major global event open to visitors since the coronavirus pandemic — to boost trade and investment.
“Our exports to Gulf states were around $6 billion, and we expect a substantial increase in it after Expo 2020,” the Pakistani prime minister’s adviser on trade investment and commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood, told Arab News.
“We have got very good response from investors,” Dawood said, adding that the country’s Board of Investment (BOI) has a dedicated desk at the Expo site, where potential investors can register.
“The major sectors we are looking at, are housing and construction, mining and minerals, agriculture, engineering and pharmaceuticals,” he said. “We have briefed the investors about incentives which government will provide them, facilities and ease of doing business environment.”
The main objective of the Pakistani pavilion and presence at the world fair is to change the country’s image into one that would show the South Asian nation’s rich culture, heritage, and diversity.
“Other two objectives were to bring tourism in the country and increase investment in Pakistan,” Dawood said.
Built from scratch on 4.3 square km of desert, Expo 2020 Dubai is divided into three sub-theme districts: Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. The Pakistani pavilion, themed “The Hidden Treasure, is located in the Opportunity area.
Its construction cost an estimated $21.4 million out of which, Dawood said, the Pakistani government has spent the least.
“There were three major partners,” he said. “UAE government, Pakistani private sector sponsors and the govt of Pakistan. Fifty-eight private corporations have donated and government of Pakistan did the least.”
The pavilion was officially inaugurated by President Arif Alvi on October 9, and in the first week since the exhibition’s opening has attracted 55,000 visitors, according to commerce ministry data.
“There are queues in front of the Pakistani pavilion,” Dawood said. “Foreigners are coming, they were not expecting anything like this. The pavilion’s facade designed by Rashid Rana, and the hidden treasures of Pakistan designed by Noorjehan Bilgrami, have taken up everybody by surprise as it’s such a good piece of art.”
