Dubai – Expo 2020 Dubai is the hot topic in the Arab emirate. Even before arriving in Dubai, after purchasing tickets on Emirates Airlines, visitors get a pass to the world’s fair, which will have 191 countries represented, in addition to companies, multilateral organizations, and educational institutions.
Planes carry the Expo logo on the outside and inside, on each seat headrest. In the on-board schedule, a long newsletter about the most significant event in the world, lasting six months, also the first global on-site event with an audience after the pandemic. This is the first Expo held in an Arab country and the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia region.
At Dubai International Airport, several displays advertise the Expo. Upon arrival at the hotel lobby, a promotional video shows the districts, pavilions, and the event’s grandeur. Expo 2020 Dubai has a metro station named after it and passengers exit at the entrance to the exhibition.
At the entrance to a local supermarket, a section has several licensed Expo products, such as stuffed pets and notebooks for children and adults.
Brazilian living in the emirate said prices in restaurants, cafes, and bars seem to be increasing as the start of the event approaches, on October 1.
Most foreigners, residents or visitors, are in some way involved in the event, whether with tourism, organizing events, setting up pavilions, welcoming people, working for the government, with foreign trade, diplomacy, among other sectors the world’s most significant event is driving.
With the appreciation of the US Dollar against the Brazilian Real, everything became more expensive for Brazilians in Dubai. The Dirham, currency of the United Arab Emirates, until a few years ago was at par with the Brazilian currency. An espresso coffee costs about AED 20, equivalent to BRL 30, or USD 5.44 at the current rate.
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Even so, many Brazilians are visiting Dubai, whether for business or leisure, as the Arab country is one of the few international destinations allowing the entry of Brazilians and not requiring a vaccination certificate, just a negative PCR test performed up to 72 hours before departure of the flight, and another upon arrival at Dubai’s airports. The country was one of the first to reopen its borders and carried an intense campaign to attract tourists to the event, the largest ever held in the UAE. Dubai Tourism, the emirate’s tourism agency, expects 25 million visitors during the period of the Expo.
What is the Expo?
The Expo is the most significant and long-lasting event globally and takes place every five years, always in a different city. Expo 2020, as its name says, was supposed to start in October last year but was postponed by a year due to the pandemic. It will begin on October 1 and last for six months until March 31, 2022.
The world’s fair receives more visitors than the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics combined. For the Expo in Dubai, an area of 4.38 square kilometers was built, equivalent to twice the size of Monaco, or 600 football fields. The Expo usually leaves architectural legacies, such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Since its first edition, in London, in 1851, the world’s fair has fascinated crowds and was the origin of some of humankind’s greatest inventions, such as the cell phone, the X-ray machine, among others.
The motto of this edition is “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,” and is based on the belief innovation and progress are the result of bringing people and ideas together in inspiring new ways. The event is a launch platform for expanding horizons and exchanging ideas and aims to be a source of innovation, collaboration, and inspiration.
Brazil has a pavilion in the Sustainability district, and the country’s vice president will attend the opening. The other two districts are Mobility and Opportunity.
The UAE’s commitment to the event is to build a cleaner, safer, and healthier future for the entire world. Over the 182 days, Expo 2020 will celebrate human excellence in innovation, architecture, technology, music, arts, and the environment. The Expo is organized by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE).
To learn more, visit the Expo 2020 Dubai website and follow ANBA’s special coverage.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
