Muscat: The Emirate of Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, celebrated on Thursday the official opening of Expo 2020 Dubai, with the participation of 191 countries and regional and international organizations, including the Sultanate, under the slogan “Connecting Minds and Creating the Future” and it will continue until March 31, 2022.
Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region , and its site extends over an area of 4.38 square kilometres in Dubai South near Al Maktoum International Airport.
The Sultanate is participating in the Expo 2020 Dubai with a pavilion of 2, 200 square metres, consisting of three floors, whose design was inspired by the frankincense tree by a young Omani woman, and it contains several exhibition halls.
Sajida bint Rashid Al Ghaithiya, Director of Communication and Information at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion and supervisor of the media team at the General Commission for Oman’s Pavilion, explained that this event gains its importance from the fact that it comes to the Middle East for the first time and is organised in a neighbouring Gulf country, the United Arab Emirates, as it is the most prominent public event with the start of the pandemic receding in many countries of the world, which greatly affected important and vital sectors such as the tourism and travel sector, the international exhibition organisation sector and the economic sectors.
In a statement to Oman News Agency, Al-Ghaithiya said that the Sultanate, through the Omani pavilion, seeks to maximise the desired gains for Oman at all levels, the most important of which are economic, social and cultural. To also highlight the Sultanate as a distinguished destination for tourism and doing business, as well as highlighting the Omani identity and heritage rich with many legacies and promoting opportunities, and investment in various sectors, along with communication and interaction with the international community in various fields.
