The World Expo has, over the years emerged as one of the largest worldwide noncommercial events in terms of cultural and economic impact. This is a global exposition which entails an exhibition of art, science, and agricultural products as presented by participants from across the world. World Expos are normally held after every five years, and they are viewed as important meeting points for people from all over the world.
These events offer a rare opportunity to all the participants in terms of economic, social, and cultural affairs. World Expos come with immense benefits to both the host countries and the participating members. One outstanding benefit of the event to the global community is that it plays a key role in facilitating positive progress and advancement of the crucial issues of international significance, such as the world economy, improved quality of life and sustainable development.
These events generate immense benefits to host cities and other participating nations, with business opportunities being the most evident benefit. Key benefits of hosting the event include improved international relationships between the host and the participants, experimentation with technological innovations, encouragement of education and cultural exchange and contribution to the efforts on environmental protection.
Moreover, the events have served as catalysts for economic developments in host countries, thus helping to bring about better cities and improved living standards for people in those regions. The possibility of World Expo 2020 being held in Dubai has been a highly welcomed idea in most parts of the world, and there are good reasons for that.
Real Estate growth
The possibility of Dubai hosting the World Expo in 2020 is likely to contribute to increased development and growth in the real estate sector. Dubai is a globally established hub in the Middle East in terms of business and economy, and it is this unique status of the UAE city, which makes it the most suitable candidate for the 2020 Expo. There is no doubt that the event will bring forth a significant impact on various sectors of the country’s economy.
Among other important areas, the real estate industry is arguably one of those sectors that are likely to benefit greatly from this event. The real estate market in the UAE is said to have started becoming buoyant, following the Emirate’s bid for the event.
The possibility of the World Expo 2020 being hosted in the city has been a major catalyst for the surging developments in the housing sector, as locals and foreigners continue to scramble for property around the city (Sutton and Virginia 92). This, however, has contributed to significant increments in both commercial prices and residential prices in the UAE. This is likely to improve even further by the end of this year when BIE finally declares the UAE city the potential host of this popular global event come 2020.
Strengthening International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs
The opportunity to host the World Expo 2020 will also present a suitable basis upon which the UAE can establish bilateral links with other regions in the world, especially the West. As it would be observed, the relationship between the Middle East and the Persian Gulf and the West has been a complex one. Resistance and incessant tensions are what has existed between the Western world, especially between the U.S. and the UK and these two regions for quite a long time now.
These soar relationships have been necessitated by several factors arising from both sides. For instance, the Arab Muslims have always viewed the Westerners as hypocrites who show up in their territory in the name of helping them realize their economic potential, but who carry with them hidden motives of exploiting the others’ wealth and resources.
The Western world, on the other hand, has always held the perception that Muslims are perpetrators of terrorism in the world. There have also been claims that some countries in the Middle East have weapons of mass destruction, and these speculations would later contribute to what can be termed as the worst confrontation between the Middle East and the Western world.
Wars and conflicts are terms that have constantly been used to define the relationship between the West and the Muslim. However, none of the past events can be compared to the just concluded conflict between the two sides, termed as the U.S. disarmament war on Iraq. This war, which was necessitated by the events of September, 11, was ignited by the U.S. government in 2002 and went on for six years leading to thousands of deaths and the great destruction of property in the Middle East.
If there is anything which has contributed to worsened relations between the West and the Middle East, it is this recent war which was not the most justified way of going about the issues of the Middle East.
The UAE is perceived to be the gate between the West and the East, and in case it hosts the global event, the possibility of Dubai hosting the 2020 event will not only help improve the relations between the region and the West, but it will also help in linking up the East to the West, particularly in matters related to trade (Getz and Andersson 37).
Increase of Trade and Business
It is possible for Dubai to build an impressive legacy from this global event, considering the city’s outstanding global recognition as a dynamic business center. Dubai is not only famous for being one of the fastest growing cities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) but also renowned as a business and cultural base of the region of the Middle East.
Today the city has attracted global attention through several events, achievements, and developments which conform to modern aspects of life. Among other things, Dubai has over the last few years become symbolic for its constructed projects, especially high-rise buildings and skyscrapers; wildlife and natural resources and ambitious development projects such as exclusive hotels, giant shopping malls and man-made islands among other spectacular attractions (Barrett 78).
These, however, are some of the many aspects that have contributed to Dubai’s development into a global city lately. All these attractions coupled with the city’s status as a global business center have led to the attraction of millions of people from all over the world during the last two or so decades whereby the majority of these people are investors and traders.
All these engagements in trade matters that have continued to attract participants from across the globe have seen Dubai become the UAE’s avenue for international relationships through trade affairs. Even though Dubai enjoys a more dynamic and diversified economy today, as it is evident from its current status, there is still room for improvement on what the global city can offer in terms of business opportunities.
This, however, can only be realized through events such as the World Expos that are likely to sell the city’s business capability to every part of the world, thus bringing a global impact on the entire UAE region.
World Expo 2020 is likely to lead to the introduction of new products in the UAE market following the participation of many countries from across the world. More importantly, UAE and the neighboring regions will also get the opportunity to showcase their products to the world, thus making a significant venture into the international market.
Technological Advancement and New Research Opportunities
One central objective of the World Expo is to build the future of the global population through an interactive platform where important technological exhibitions are staged with the purpose of teaching people how they can apply modern technological ways to advance their lives. Exposure to modern aspects of technology plays a significant role in helping people master and gain helpful, innovative skills that would be handy in advancing today’s business objectives (Fridell 96).
Connecting minds to create the future are the message carried by the unique theme which the United Arab Emirates had settled for on their bid to host the global Expo event in 2020. Many people across the world have viewed this as the best of all the themes that have been presented along with the bids for World Expo 2020.
There is no better explanation for this admiration rather than the fact that this theme reflects the mission of the World Expo in helping to show how the creativity of human mind has contributed towards the improvement of people’s lives economically and culturally. There is no doubt that, based on the power within the words that have formed to theme and the strong message which they carry, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is going to grant the UAE this once in a lifetime opportunity.
World Expos are praised for their ability to enable people from different parts of the world to come together to portray their technological innovations in various fields.
Granting the UAE the opportunity to host the Expo will certainly present a potential development opportunity for technological advancement in the country and the surrounding regions. More importantly, this is likely to expose the UAE to new challenges as well as discoveries as far as technology is concerned, thus opening avenues for new research opportunities in this dynamic sector.
Cultural Exchange and World Wide Recognition
There is a need for a renewed focus on human interaction through modern approaches as one way of promoting cultural exchange. This can only be realized through social events and activities that tend to bring us together for a common goal. Is a city that boasts of a large industry and trade exhibition, Dubai has remained unique and remarkable in many ways. These two features have enabled the global city to attract millions of visitors from all parts of the world into the UAE and its neighboring regions every year.
With its many vast business opportunities and attractions, both natural and man-made, the global city in the UAE offers a wide interactive platform for people of different cultures and national identities (Contardo 167). These shared interests and strong links between the UAE and its trade partners across the world have brought a renewed focus of development and advancement in global business matters. One great importance of these interactions is that they play a key role in helping promote cultural exchange among the participants.
In this regard, an opportunity to host such a prestigious global event which draws participants from every corner of the globe will make the UAE a hub for global interactions. This, however, is likely to accord the Arabic country worldwide recognition, apart from the international glory it has enjoyed in the past as a hub for global business.
There is no doubt that the city offers a suitable platform for connectivity, considering the large numbers of visitors it receives every month. Through the World Expo, which extends to about six months, much can be realized in terms of educating each other and learning new things regarding cultural aspects.
Other Reasons
As it would be observed, one of the key areas of consideration when selecting hosts for World Expos is a country’s capability to fully host and accommodate all the participants. This has the meaning that a country or city that intends to place a bid to host this outstanding global event should have all the necessary infrastructure and resources as required by the Bureau International des Expositions, the body responsible for selecting hosts for World Expos.
Dubai’s extensive accommodation sector which comprises of hundreds of luxurious hospitality hubs can adequately cater for the accommodation needs of the World Expo 2020 attendants, no matter their number. More importantly, the many sites of attraction within the surroundings of the UAE city will serve as special touring alternatives for attendants of the Expo event who will be able to utilize parts of their trips paying a visit to the attractions.
Based on the current report of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the tourism industry of the UAE is advancing and expanding at a rate that exceeds the world rate. In this regard, it is clear that the country’s tourism standards will by far have exceeded the qualification standards of BIT on this matter by the year 2020.
The UAE has also prepared well for the World Expo 2020 and has just started making its best decisions and expectations regarding this golden opportunity. To prove its great desire to host the event, UAE has come up with pledges of money and gift packages towards the support of full participation for upcoming economies in the six-month event.
More importantly, the country is also planning to contribute heavily towards the support of the international brainstorming project known as Expo Live. The UAE has also expressed its best interest of fast-tracking the AED 1.36 billion investment in the infrastructure to have the city’s Metro extended. All these are good reasons showing the global city as a suitable host for the World Expo coming in 2020.
Conclusion
Based on these reasons, it is abundantly clear that Dubai has qualified in every aspect that would be essential for a city to host the World Expo event. Dubai is indeed one of the most visited countries in the world, and its status as a global business center gives it an upper hand in the bargain about hosting the World Expo 2020.
As it has been shown in this report, the city’s capability to draw together people of varied ethnicities will not only facilitate the fusion of cultures across the world, but it will play a crucial role in advocating the mission and objective of the World Expo to the global population.
There is no doubt that Dubai is the most developed city in the UAE, and therefore, should be considered as a potential host of the big event. As it is evident from this report, the global city which is situated in the UAE is a strategic business hub in the Middle East, and for that reason, the entire region views it as a gateway to international relations through bilateral trade, among other benefits.
Based on these facts, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf are likely to realize improved relationships with other countries in the world if Dubai gets the opportunity to host the World Expo 2020.
More importantly, the opportunity will also bring a significant impact on other countries in the region in several ways, as it is shown in the report. Based on these facts, there is no good reason why Dubai should not be allowed to host the World Expo 2020. In case that happens, it would be another opportunity for the global city to realize its great potential in global business matters.
Bibliography
Barrett, Raymond. The Dubai Dream: Inside the Kingdom of Bling, New York: Nicholas Brealey Pub, 2010. Print.
Contardo, Lanna. “Transformative Efforts of Cosmesis: The Case of UAE.” World 2. 2 (2012): 161-171. Print.
Fridell, Ron. Seven Wonders of Transportation, United Kingdom: Twenty-First Century Books, 2010. Print.
Getz, Donald and Andersson Tommy. “Festival management studies: developing a framework and priorities for comparative and cross-cultural research.” International Journal of Event and Festival Management 1. 1 (2010): 29-59. Print.
Sutton, John and Verginis Constantinos. “Empowerment and customer satisfaction strategies in multi-cultural hotel restaurant environments: the Dubai case.” Journal of Foodservice Business Research 6. 3 (2004): 77-104. Print.