Party's over: Dubai's monthslong Expo 2020 comes to a close
31.03.2022 - 14:59
/ abcnews.go.com
crash in the Great Recession, rescued by a $20 billion bailout from oil-rich Abu Dhabi.As property prices roared back, the Expo — the first world's fair in the Middle East — appeared to signal Dubai's troubles were behind it. Officials offered bright predictions.
The “world's greatest show” would draw 25 million visitors. It would generate $33.4 billion in investment until 2031.
It would help Dubai push into the top tier of global financial centers.But, in the end, the billions of dollars, frenzy of fantastical construction projects and barrage of publicity proved powerless against the coronavirus pandemic, which forced Dubai to postpone the event a year.“It definitely fell short of what officials would have wanted,” said James Swanston, an economist at Capital Economics. “There were extremely optimistic assessments about Expo driving the next five to 10 years of growth in real estate and business, and COVID disrupted that.”Dubai raced to widespread vaccination so it could open its borders and relax virus restrictions — earning it a reputation as a party haven for tourists escaping lockdowns back home.The fair since has logged a staggering, albeit murky, total of 23 million visits — fueled by repeated visits of those already living in the city.
Public sector employees got six days paid leave to visit. Schoolchildren regularly descended on Expo for field trips.While concert lineups included just a few starry names, such as Coldplay and Alicia Keys, culturally specific crowd-pleasers succeeded in drawing diverse and rabid fan bases.
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