India pavilion at Dubai expo crosses 300,000 footfalls in 43 days

Dubai: The India Pavilion at EXPO2020 Dubai has emerged as one of the most-visited pavilions at EXPO2020 Dubai with the number of visitors crossing 300,000 (3 lakh) in just 43 days on November 12.

The pavilion was inaugurated on October 1 by Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, Piyush Goyal.

“The huge interest of visitors in India pavilion is a sign of confidence on India’s resilience and opportunities, besides the vibrant culture of the country, which is in full display in different state weeks being held in the pavilion. The pavilion has been visited by 31 country delegations, and 175 high-profile visitors have also graced it with their visit. With this, 199 G2B and B2B meetings have taken place at the pavilion along with the Startup pitching sessions. It is a matter of great satisfaction that 15 FIIs have already committed to fund Startups,” said Dr Aman Puri, Consul General of India in Dubai and Deputy Commissioner General of India at EXPO2020.

Several business sessions and conferences pertaining to the investment opportunities were organised by the states of Gujarat, Karnataka & Ladakh in October. Apart from these, the India Pavilion also witnessed an array of cultural activities during the festive season, especially associated with Dusshera, Navratri and Diwali celebrations.

In November, the India pavilion is hosting a series of business & cultural activities from Telangana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra on a global pedestal. These state-specific weeks are holding many engaging activities displaying their culture, tradition and tremendous business opportunities. While renewable energy, space and housing and urban affairs sectors have already seen policymakers and business leaders participating in the interactive sessions at the pavilion, oil & gas and textiles are two sectors to showcase India’s capabilities during this month.

Bilateral conferences including the India-GCC Business conference, which was held this week, are also one of the major attractions of the India Pavilion engagements.

The month of December will see participation from states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh & Kerala and key sectors like Electronics and Information Technology, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Higher Education & Skills, Tribal Affairs, Spices & Tourism.

“Rajasthan week is currently on at the pavilion and will be followed by the Maharashtra week. Along with the cultural diversity and vibrancy, India’s innovative capability is also in full display with special focus on startups – Karnataka and Telangana startups have received immense attention of the investors already. It is a blend of culture and business opportunities that is attracting the visitors to the India Pavilion,” said Dr Puri.

Several government dignitaries, celebrities, businessmen and bankers including Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan; Rishad Premji, Chairman, Wipro Ltd.; Dinesh Kumar Khara Chairman, State Bank of India; Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone; Janhvi Kapoor and her sister Khushi Kapoor; Kanika Kapoor, Shaan, Jaaved Jaaferi and Manish Paul have also visited the Indian pavilion recently.

Going by the current trend, it is expected that by the time the EXPO2020 concludes on March 31, 2022, the India Pavilion will certainly be among the pavilions that will see one of the highest footfalls.