World Expo 2020 Dubai Tabled for One Year Due to COVID-19
The new dates announcement made by the Expo 2020 Dubai team followed the decision of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) after the two-thirds of its Member States voted in favor of postponing the next World Expo by one year.
The exhibition of some 192 countries including the Seychelles at the Expo 2020 will be delayed by one year as the world faces an unprecedented difficult situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Expo 2020 Dubai, which will retain its brand as Expo 2020, will now run from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Seychelles announced its participation to the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region in August 2019 and was gearing up to showcase the destination’s natural environment, opportunities for investment and its achievements towards sustainability and conservation during the six-month event.
Speaking on behalf of the Expo Committee in Seychelles; Mrs. Sherin Francis, Seychelles Tourism Board Chief Executive mentioned that the postponement of this much-anticipated Expo 2020 event was inevitable.
“Although unfortunate, the announcement for the postponement of Expo 2020 like all major events planned this year was to be expected. Given our current situation, the feasibility of the event was close to impossible. Nonetheless, from our side work continues to make sure that we are ready in time for the show and this remains despite the shift in date,” said Mrs. Francis.
In a communiqué, Expo 2020 Dubai stated that the team remains committed to hosting an exceptional event that will celebrate humanity’s resilience, creativity, culture and innovation – including major technological advances in the fields of medicine and science.
The communique further explained that the delay allows all participants to safely navigate the impact of COVID-19, and allows the World Expo to focus on a collective desire for new thinking to identify solutions to some of the greatest challenges of our time.
The Seychelles pavilion which is to be situated within the sustainability petal in the thematic districts places the destination at a prime location among the world eco-friendly champions, providing an excellent platform for Seychelles to showcase its achievements and successes in that area.
