Expo 2020 Dubai will show how far country has come

▶ The UAE’s role on the global stage has been long established. Now it will host the world

It is nearly eight years since Dubai delivered its Expo 2020 bid to the Bureau International des Expositions and six years since it won the honour to stage the prestigious event, triggering jubiliant scenes across the nation. In just over a year, an estimated 25 million visitors will begin pouring into the UAE to experience the first World Expo ever to be held in the Middle East. Dubai’s bid was utterly in keeping with the “build it and they will come” philosophy that has always fuelled this city’s exciting growth. Over the past six years, the enthusiasm and imagination that went into preparing the bid have been transformed into a single-minded commitment to create what promises to be one of the most astonishing expos the world has ever seen. Last week Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, toured the falcon-inspired site to witness the progress made. Few could doubt his proud prediction that Dubai is in the process of creating the best fair in its 168-year-old history.

Residents can now follow the progress for themselves by taking advantage of the free bus tours of the site on offer and witnessing the creation of the pavilions of 192 nations, each an astonishing architectural marvel. Also rising out of the desert sand are the three main pavilions, devoted to the future-facing messages of opportunity, mobility and sustainability. The central theme of “connecting minds, creating the future” is no hollow slogan. In October 2020, before the UAE is even a half-century old, the long-anticipated site will throw open its doors to the world and take both residents and visitors from far-flung destinations on a thrilling journey to do just that. The UAE’s role on the world stage has long been established. Now it is poised to stage the greatest show the world has ever seen.