Expo 2020 Dubai: Will It Be Postponed?

April 03, 2020

A final decision on postponement can only be made by the BIE, the World Expo governing body

Expo 2020 Dubai most likely to be delayed by one year due to the coronavirus situation. The six-month long expo was scheduled to start on October 20, 2020 and run until April 10, 2021.

The first expo to be held in the MENASA region, planned to be the global event that would include pavilions from 192 nations, with 25 million visits expected during the show. Up to 70% of visitors anticipated to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 169-year history of World Expos.

During the last virtual meeting of its steering committee, with representatives of the countries taking part in the event, Expo organisers collectively agreed to explore the delay with BIE, the World Expo governing body. The BIE will now work with its member states and Expo 2020 Dubai organisers to establish a change in dates.

A final decision on postponement can only be made by the BIE’s executive committee and the general assembly, and a change of dates requires a two-thirds majority vote from the member states of the organisation. The great news is – all the participants scheduled to take part in the EXPO, will have more time to prepare to this grand event.