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Dubai must be selected for what it is today

Dubai has a winning case for hosting World Expo2020, a global event which is organised every five years in a unique city selected to host it, after tough international competition.

The event, which has cultural entertainment as well as business dimensions, is visited by millions from across the globe. And the nations that are progressing fast in the areas of modernity, economy, science and technology want to show it to the outside world by hosting it.

The oldest and biggest international event allows states, international organisations and commercial entrepreneurs to showcase their achievements, innovations, civilisation, history, culture and commercial achievements. This is the reason which makes it a global event and gives it a greater appeal for tourists and businessmen.

Dubai, which organises dozens of globally known shopping fairs, industrial exhibitions and social and scientific conferences every year, has submitted its master plan to organise the show in the year 2020.

When compared with Izmir in Turkey, Thailand’s Ayutthaya, Yekaterinburg in Russia and Sao Paulo of Brazil, the three other bidders, Dubai stands out for several reasons, which is why it has more chances to win the bid in November when the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) will announce the winning bidder.

Once a small city, where life was really slow and the only source of income was fishing and regional trade in 1971, Dubai must be picked up as a venue only for what it is today. It has become a benchmark for modernity, progress, and offers a unique business model for its cultural diversity. A small city by global standards offering business, trade and job opportunities to millions.

The global financial city is a regional address for entertainment, fine arts, fashion, glamour, sports, and tourism. But, Dubai’s 20 free zones have attracted the real people behind its phenomenal growth — the thinking minds and go-getters from across the globe.

According to the World Bank, “the UAE provides the easiest and quickest way for foreign investors seeking to set up a project in the Arab region.”

In its “Ease of Starting Business Index” for 2013, the World Bank ranked the UAE 22^nd in the world and first in the Arab region, noting that the second largest Arab economy jumped from the 46^th rank in 2012 for its zero tax system regime.

Another index, published by the Kuwait-based Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation, a key Arab League establishment, showed the UAE ranked 13^th in the world in terms of dealing with construction permits, seventh in getting electricity for the project and fifth in trading across borders.

Is it not an achievement that a desert nation hosts more than 6,000 of the world’s finest companies at its Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), including more than 150 of the Global Fortune 500 companies? Out of these, about 42 per cent are from the Middle East region, 23 per cent from Europe, 15 per cent from South Asia.

Leading businessman and managing director of Emke Goup Yusuffali M.A., who runs over 100 hypermarkets in the UAE as well in the GCC and Egypt, agrees that Dubai’s bidding for the mega event reflects its unique and unmatched position in the entire region.

“In my opinion, Dubai has a very strong case for Expo 2020 with its fabulous infrastructure and worldwide connectivity. As is widely known, Dubai today offers some of the best facilities in terms of travel, with both the national and international carriers touching almost all major destinations of the world,” he says.

“With almost 65 per cent of the world population in the eight hour travel radius, I don’t think there would be any better city suited to host this prestigious event,” Yusuffali says, who is also a member of the board of directors of the Abu Dhabi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

Trade hub for the region

The emirate is the only re-exporter in the entire region. In December 2012, Dubai Customs statistics showed India as the biggest trading partner during the first 10 months of the year, as its total trade exchange valued Dh127 billion.

Other trade partners included the biggest economy of Asia, China with which it traded Dh94 billion worth of goods. The size of trade with Switzerland was Dh73 billion, with the US it had trade exchanges worth Dh59 billion, and Turkey ranked fifth with Dh42 billion.

No doubt, the Jebel Ali port and airport, the two regional logistical hubs, have strengthened the trade and tourism with the Mena, South Asia and rest of the region. But it’s its meeting, incentives, conference and exhibitions (MICE) industry, that has taken advantage of its geographical location and pro-business environment to make it a business centre. This has given the confidence to submit the bid.

With easy and direct connectivity with 200 cities, Dubai has 80,000 hotel rooms, with projects at hand to build 20,000 rooms in the next two years, offering a wide variety of accommodation options, along with 15,000 serviced apartment units.

Yusuffali said: “The excellent and iconic hotels, trade and exhibition centres, tourist attractions and above all the highly hospitable multi-ethnic population of this great country are some of the other great advantages Dubai can boast of.”

He said: “Dubai has the ability to set new benchmarks and surpass them and I am sure this will be repeated in case of Expo2020.”

If you look at the theme “Connecting Minds, and Creating the Future”, it is actually what Dubai is already doing. The large number of expats and tourists who come to the UAE and do business is actually an extension of this theme, Yusuffali said.

“The theme reflects the conviction of Dubai in moving forward to a more progressive future,” says Dr Qaiser Anis, managing partner of the management firm Alliott Management Consulting in Abu Dhabi. “The World Expo serves as a ground to inspire the world to strengthen its cultural diversity and move forward to the development of its community,” he said.

Expo Shanghai 2010 which had a theme: “Better City, Better Life,” has helped Shanghai from becoming a heavily industrial city into a thriving cultural district.

Expo2020 will, Inshallah, take place in Dubai to benefit the world and especially the two billion people living around the UAE, Yusuffali said.

news@khaleejtimes.com

Top Voices

Befitting the city’s calibre

The world’s fairs are prestigious events which serve to showcase the achievements of cities around the world and the people that live in them.

Dubai’s ambitions of hosting the 2020 Expo are befitting of a city of its calibre and I wish the emirate and its people all the very best.

It is apparent that a significant effort has been put into making the case for Dubai’s bid and winning it would be a tremendous achievement; it would indeed be a case of a world class event being held in a world class city.

World-class 
service provider

Airbus has been investing in the Middle East and North Africa region for many years, and our support is absolutely behind Dubai as a leading candidate to host this event.

The Middle East has a strong global advantage, with access to 5.7 billion of the world’s population within an eight-hour flight, highlighted through our research.

Dubai is an emerging global business hub and has proven to be a world-class provider of services, making it the perfect location for World Expo 2020.

Significant contribution

I’m very hopeful that Dubai will be able to host the 2020 Expo.

The efforts of the Dubai Expo 2020 team, as well as the many government entities who have supported the bid, are commendable and the fact that Dubai is determined to win the right to host this prestigious event is clear.

Multinational companies, such as The Dow Chemical Company, contribute significantly towards the Expo 2020 effort through the expertise and know-how we can bring to the table.