UAE will win Expo 2020 bid: NYT

Dubai is expected to win the bid to host 2020 World Expo thanks to government support and owing to political tensions in other countries bidding for the prestigious event, the US New York Times newspaper has said.

In an article about the event, the paper cited official statements in Dubai expecting the emirate to receive more than 25 million visitors and 270,000 new jobs.

Dubai, which would be the first host of the world’s fair in the Middle East, has emerged as the front-runner,” it said.

“Political tensions in Russia and in Turkey could hurt the chances of Yekaterinburg and Izmir.”

The paper said São Paulo in Brazil, the largest city in the Southern Hemisphere, is seen as least likely to succeed when the 100 or so delegates of the exposition bureau’s General Assembly vote in November.

“The fact that all of the 2020 bidders come from emerging markets is indicative of the changing landscape of international relations,” it said.

“More nations are using such global events to elbow their way onto the world stage. ‘Shanghai 2010’ is a perfect example of an expo held to show that a country is an important international player.”

Businesses Upbeat

Businesses in Dubai are upbeat about the UAE's prospects.

"We are indeed very pleased to see this endorsement today. Dubai has the best infrastructure for Expo 2020.We feel very confident as Dubai outstands every other country in terms of all the  requirements," said Kamal Vachani, Group Director, Al Maya Group.

"Dubai is a very vibrant  city in terms of geographical location, infrastructure and trade.  This will attract even larger number of tourists as Dubai will witness robust growth in tourism, population and number of people coming to Dubai. The real estate sector will get a big boost as people see this lovely city and would like to invest in all sectors namely, retail, distribution, property or having a personal home," he added.

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