Expo 2020 Dubai declares first month ‘a huge success’, with 2.35 million visits during October
Expo 2020 Dubai organisers have hailed the first month of the event as a “huge success”, announcing an impressive 2,350,868 visits from 1-31 October, with a host of memorable events, entertainment and seminars attracting people from the UAE, region and beyond.
Taking a global overview, an impressive 17 per cent of the total visits came from overseas, which was notable considering the event takes place when many countries are still operating pandemic travel restrictions. Expo has counted 185 nationalities through its gates, with the top five most popular overseas markets consisting of India, Germany, France, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
A staggering 5,610 official events have been staged across the Expo site during the first month of operations. Crowds have been attracted to a stellar line-up of regional and international music artists, including Amr Diab, Kadim Al Sahir and Sami Yusuf. There have also been appearances by major sporting stars, from the basketball skills of the Harlem Globetrotters to the Rajasthan Royals cricket team. Individual countries have flown in musicians and performers, and there have been panel discussions featuring everyone from business leaders to astronauts.
As the UAE moves into its winter months and the weather become more temperate, visitor numbers are expected to steadily increase, enticed also by Expo’s ongoing programme of events. November alone will feature the conclusion of a week of events marking Diwali, Nancy Ajram and Ragheb Alama headlining the second of Expo’s Infinite Nights concert series, and the beginning of a packed schedule of celebrations for the UAE’s Golden Jubilee.
Bringing Expo 2020 Dubai to a global digital audience, the number of the number of virtual visitors has amounted to 12.8 million since 1 October.
Expo 2020 Dubai runs until 31 March 2022, inviting the world to join a celebration of unity, opportunity, creativity and sustainability that will help to shape a better, brighter future for everyone.