Expo 2020 Dubai passes half-way mark
Expo 2020 Dubai recorded 8,958,132 visits in its first three months, boosted by a host of spectacular events during the festive December season, with even more world-class sports, music and cultural performances expected in the second half of its six-month run.
From October to December 2021, the Expo 2020 Dubai welcomed a total of 8,902 statesmen, including ministers, presidents, prime ministers and heads of state.
Almost half of all visits (47 per cent) came from Expo season tickets and the number of repeat visitors to the Expo reached 3.5 million in the first three months – a reflection of the sheer number of experiences that require more than one visit.
Her Excellency Reem Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of International Cooperation and CEO of Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “We enter the new year having forged strong friendships that will enable us to take urgent action to address some of the greatest challenges facing us all.”
Highlights of December included stunning fireworks and rousing New Year’s Eve performances by world-renowned DJs Armin van Buuren and Dimitri Vegas. The celebrations capped an incredible month that began with the UAE Golden Jubilee and included a stunning performance by Alicia Keys and a concert by A.R. Rahman – the first in almost two years.
There are just 87 days to go, each filled with more amazing events – from British boxing star Anthony Joshua’s visit on January 5 to Global Goals Week later this month.
Between October 1 and December 31, almost a third (30 per cent) of all visitors came from outside the UAE, with India, Germany, France, the UK, the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia among the most visited countries.
Many people also continue to travel to the venue using RTA transport, in line with Expo 2020’s sub-theme on sustainable development. Between 1 October and the end of December, almost 675,000 people travelled to and from the Expo site by taxi, more than one million trips were made on the free Expo Rider bus, and more than 3.4 million users entered and exited the Expo 2020 Dubai via Dubai Metro.
Virtual attendance at Expo 2020 Dubai surpassed the 50 million mark thanks to the fantastic Live@Expo offer, which allows visitors to take a personalised virtual tour of the Expo grounds as well as the main events watched by millions of spectators from around the world.
The Expo’s school programme attracted 334,110 visitors from private and public schools over 41 school days, accounting for around a third of the UAE’s total student population. The programme’s virtual series, Expo Adventures, has attracted 3.9 million visits through December 31, with school children from more than 60 countries taking part.
.@expo2020dubai passes its half-way mark with 87 days left, recording a total of almost 9 million visits in its first 3 months. https://t.co/Up00wMaCCU pic.twitter.com/CyAXD3xJbO
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 4, 2022
As Expo 2020 Dubai is the most significant global event held since the pandemic began, the strict security measures COVID-19 adopted at Expo 2020 are designed to protect all visitors and those working at the venue. These include wearing masks – indoors and outdoors – for visitors, staff and exhibitors, as well as on-site PCR tests for country pavilion staff, frontline workers and entertainers. All Expo and International Exhibitor staff, volunteers, contractors and service providers must be vaccinated and visitors aged 18 years and over must present proof of any vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours.
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