Tourism Breaking News
Expo 2020 Dubai visit numbers have increased significantly to a total of 7,167,591 visits in the period up to 20 December, as organisers continue to maintain robust COVID-19 measures, ensuring a safe and exceptional event for all attending. The largest major global event to be held since the start of the pandemic, Expo 2020’s latest COVID-19 measures include the expansion of the number of on-site PCR testing facilities to four, and free testing for all Country Pavilion staff. While all frontline workers and entertainers continue to be tested on a regular basis, some close contact events, such as parades and roving entertainers, have been temporarily suspended as a short-term precautionary measure. With more than 90 per cent of the UAE population fully vaccinated, Expo 2020 Dubai has required mandatory vaccination and boosters of all Expo and International Participant staff, volunteers, contractors and service providers. Visitors ages 18 and above are required to present proof of any vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours. In addition, Expo 2020 maintains on site sanitisation stations and mandatory face-masks both indoor and outdoor.
Expo 2020 Dubai was honoured to receive His Holiness Sultan Al Bohra and members of the Bohra community, while other recent high profile events included an appearance from footballing great and Expo Ambassador Lionel Messi; a concert by multitalented Egyptian star Mohamed Ramadan; electrifying science show Brainiac Live and plenty more live entertainment, buoyed by enthusiastic uptake of the Expo 2020 Festive Pass. Knowledge & Learning Week, the latest engrossing Theme Week under Expo’s Programme for People and Planet, presented a three-day global education summit, a number of World Majlis events, an interactive workshop-style event around experiential learning, and a Business Forum on harnessing and challenging today’s knowledge to better prepare for the future.
The seasonal spirit has been felt across the entire Expo site ahead of 25 December, with the unmissable Christmas tree at Al Wasl Plaza lit up in a special ceremony on 18 December, and all kinds of ongoing yuletide events, activities and shopping, plus a full menu of festive food and drink options, all delighting visitors. Expo’s programme of live concerts during the next seven days glitters with a truly international cast, including Dina Stars and Apo & The Apostles (23 December, Jubilee Park), Egyptian entertainer Tamer Hosny (23 December, Jubilee Park), Grigoryan Chant and Naia Izumi (24 December, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre), London Community Gospel Choir (24 and 25 December. Jubilee Park and Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre respectively), Lea Salonga (25 December, Jubilee Park), and Kazakh National Ballet (23 December, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre).
The festive fun continues, too, with Expo’s International Participants presenting their nations’ festive traditions and own unique twists on seasonal cheer: from 3D-printed snowflakes at the Czech Republic Pavilion, to the 400-year-old tradition of Lucia at the Sweden Pavilion on the 27 December. With Expo’s Festive Pass unlocking unlimited access to a wonderful winter for just AED 95, on sale now until the end of December, visit numbers are expected to keep increasing. Expo 2020’s virtual visitation rose to 31.6 million over the same period, mainly driven by the uptake of Live@Expo, which enables visitors to take a bespoke live virtual tour through the site. Expo 2020 Dubai runs until 31 March 2022, inviting the world to join a global celebration that will help to shape a better, brighter future for everyone.
