4 December 2013
Dubai has been chosen as the first Middle Eastern host of the World Expo trade convention, which will be held in 2020.
The expo sees hundreds of countries show off the latest in architecture and technology and takes place every five years.
The last of its kind was in Shanghai in 2010, with the next, in 2015, to be held in Milan.
Dubai authorities say Expo 2020 will bring in around $23bn. Financing the six-month event is expected to cost a total of $8.4bn with the government spending around $6.5bn on infrastructure projects, which will include an exhibition centre to host the event, as well as new hotels. Dubai’s metro line will also be extended.
Dubai will host the trade convention, which will require the construction of a new exhibition centre and hotels (Wikimedia Commons)
At the announcement made in Paris, the Gulf city was told it had beaten Russia’s Yekaterinburg in the final round of voting. The other contenders were Sao Paulo in Brazil and Izmir in Turkey.
Dubai ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, has promised to astonish the world with the event.
“Dubai Expo 2020 will breathe new life into the ancient role of the Middle East as a melting pot for cultures and creativity,” he said.
Source: BBC News
