TravTalk Middle East Online Magazine
Dubai is geared up for the upcoming Expo 2020. Sanjive Khosla, Deputy Chief Visitor Experience Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, shares an update on the mega event, which is expected to bring around 25 million visitors to the country.
TT Bureau
What is the latest update from the Expo ground?
The work for the Expo 2020 is going on in full swing. We have completed close to 60 to 70 per cent of the overall work and by October 2019, we would be able to hand over the site to the countries to start building their respective pavilions.
How many countries have pledged support?
We have extended our invitation to 192 countries with three Thematic Districts, which explore the Expo’s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability, there will be 192 country pavilions.
What impact will Expo have in this region?
We aim to be a world Expo that is accessible to all and believe the ticket prices and concessions will help us achieve that. We await millions of visitors from around the globe, to experience our rich Arabic tradition of hospitality. For Expo 2020, we are targeting 25 million visitors in Dubai. World Expo is much larger in terms of impact as it is a celebration of what the world has to offer through culture, entertainment, trade, future, not only for trade and industry but also for the consumer. Everyday there will be more than 60 live events, including parades, performances, global music shows, hands-on workshops and other diverse entertainment for everyone to enjoy. There will be site-wide celebrations on special days such as Diwali, UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and International Women’s Day.
What entails a ticket at Expo?
A single-day adult (18 and over) ticket will cost AED 120 (USD 33), while a three-day pass, which can be used on any three days during the 173 days of Expo, will be priced at AED 260 (USD 71). A ticket will give its holder access to once-in-a-lifetime experience, including 60 live shows a day, future-shaping technologies, performances from world-famous artists, daily parades, and more than 200 F&B outlets. Single-day and three-day tickets will be offered to international travellers in bundled packages to be sold by authorised ticket resellers.
These tickets will go on sale to the general public in April 2020, although visitors will be able to buy monthly and season passes directly from the Expo from Q4 2019. Expo 2020 will offer free access for children aged five and below and seniors aged 65 and above. Children aged six to 17 and students will receive 50 per cent discount. The Expo School Programme will offer specially curated journeys for school students to educate them about the Expo sub-themes.
