There has been a rush of visits to Expo 2020 as the closing date for the Dubai-based event approaches. In total, 17.4 million people have now passed through the turnstiles, with organizers describing this as “phenomenal increase” of 1.4 million visits in a single week.
“We have said from the start that the numbers typically ramp up towards the end of Expo,” said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications at Expo 2020 Dubai.
“We have been talking about the ‘now or never’. Clearly that message is landing with people.”
The last-minute surge of about 1.5 million visits per week is likely to bring numbers closer to the original 25 million target. The rising number of international tourists to Dubai has contributed to higher Expo footfall, as the tourism industry recovers from the coronavirus pandemic.
In January, the emirate welcomed more than 979,700 international tourists, a growth of 116 per cent compared to the same month last year, according to figures from Dubai Tourism.
