Expo 2020 Dubai: No walk-in tickets as pavilion opens next week

Dubai - Walk through the roots of a forest at Terra - The Sustainability Pavilion.

By Nandini SIrcar

Published: Sat 16 Jan 2021, 2:22 PM

Last updated: Sat 16 Jan 2021, 7:37 PM

UAE residents and tourists can tour Expo 2020 Dubai’s Terra - The Sustainability Pavilion from January 22 to April 10, it was announced on Saturday.

The Expo 2020 Pavilions Premiere was formally launched on Saturday.

Alif – The Mobility Pavilion and Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion will also open to the public in the first quarter of 2021, officials said.

Pavilions Premiere bookings can be made from January 16 on https://expo2020dubai.com/en/pavilions-premiere. Tickets are priced at with Dh25.

Terra, which means ‘Planet Earth’, will offer an immersive journey through the wonders of the natural world, including an interactive walk through the roots of the forest, where every footstep affects the ‘wood-wide-web’.

This is what's in store for you at the pavilion

The pavilion was designed by renowned Grimshaw Architects and sets an example for sustainable building design. Built to be net-zero for both energy and water, it features 1,055 photovoltaic panels arranged on a 130-metre-wide roof canopy and atop a series of ‘Energy Trees’.

The pavilion also uses water-reduction strategies, water recycling and alternative water sources.

Terra will remain in legacy as a Science Centre that will inspire sustainable choices for generations to come. “Visitors are urged to book early as the experience will operate five days per week with limited operating hours and capacity restrictions due to enhanced health and safety measures,” it added.

Reem Al Hashimy, Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau and UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation, said: “We are delighted to start 2021 on such a positive note as we welcome the UAE community to be the first to experience Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion at a moment in our history that is unparalleled in terms of its impact on humanity.

“While 2020 may be remembered as a year that changed us forever, it has also given us a tremendous opportunity to come together as a global society and find answers to our most pressing challenges,” she said.

Expo 2020 Dubai — the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region — will run from October 1 this year to March 31, 2022.

No walk-in tickets

While the pavilion itself is segmented into sections and interesting explainers, Marjan Faraidooni, Chief Experience Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, throws light on how visitors will be managed during the pandemic with no walk-in tickets available.

She said: “To start with, potential visitors are asked to go to our website to book their tickets ... This will help us manage capacity and provide an optimal experience. Therefore, all visitors are required to make a timed-entry reservation in advance online.

“The time during the week is 3pm-9pm; and on the weekends, it is 4pm-10pm. We have tickets for each of the timings and by doing so, we can control the number of people who come to the site. It also helps us plan the number of visitors who go through the pavilion. We are expecting around 3,000 visitors every week day and 5,000 over the weekends.”

nandini@khaleejtimes.com