Dubai Expo attracts more than 4 million visitors

THE 6-month long Expo 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which opened on Oct 1, is drawing millions of visitors. More than 4 million people have visited the expo where 192 countries are participating in what is billed as the "world's greatest show".

Through the theme of Connecting Minds, Creating the Future, the expo hopes to inspire by showcasing the best examples of global collaboration, innovation and cooperation.

It is designed to be a celebration offering visitors 182 days of food, music, technology, art, science, culture and creativity, and provides a platform to address global challenges, and foster creativity, innovation and collaboration among participating countries.

This is the first time in the history of the 170-year-old World Expo - which is held once every five years, that it is being held in the Middle Eastern, African and South Asian region.

The launch of the Virtual Expo on Sep 30 had 3 million people watching the opening ceremony live. Expo 2020 Dubai runs until Mar 31, 2022, with 200 pavilions. As well as the attractions, there are daily events, with panel discussions and cultural performances.

Singapore is participating in the expo with its own attractive country pavilion. Originally scheduled to run from Oct 20, 2020 to Apr 10, 2021, the expo was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Besides the very large number of business and trade visitors flocking to the first major show of its kind since the start of the Covid pandemic, the organisers say visitor numbers have soared. Boosting the visitor numbers were recent events like the sold-out Expo Run on Nov 19 - which saw 10,000 runners of all ages and abilities line up behind 6 Kenyan world champions for 3km, 5km and 10km runs around the Expo site - and 2 performances by the popular all-female Firdaus Orchestra.

The Singapore pavilion showcases the country's vision of being a City in Nature. Visitors get to learn about the nation's innovations through immersive experiences that integrate nature, architecture and technology.

With the theme of 'Nature, Nurture, Future', the pavilion presents Singapore's story of overcoming its physical limitations as a small island city-state and adapting itself to become a highly liveable and sustainable city.

The pavilion encourages visitors to contemplate their roles in fostering stronger relationships between nature and the built environment.

Through a creative and experiential journey of individual and collective discoveries, visitors get to experience and understand Singapore's evolution into a city in nature, where there is a synergistic and collaborative relationship between the community, nature, and the built environment.

The pavilion also celebrates Singapore's spirit of ingenuity and creativity by profiling Singaporean design, capabilities and businesses through programmes and activities.

There is a profusion of lush greenery in the pavilion's 1,550 sq m area through hanging gardens and three "cones" that are covered in more than 170 varieties of tropical plants in the Sustainability district.

There are two other districts in the 438ha expo site - Mobility explores a connected future, and Opportunity features programmes to co-create a better tomorrow.

The Singapore pavilion's structure includes a ground-level garden and galleria which cascades upwards to a canopy walk, hanging garden, sky market and solar roof which powers the self-sustaining pavilion.

Visitors journey through 3 themed cones - Rainforest, City, and Flower Cones - which house exhibits showcasing Singapore's transformational urban journey, its solutions to pressing urban issues, and efforts to create a sustainable future.