The Saudi capital of Riyadh was chosen to host the World Expo 2030, beating South Korea’s Busan and Italy’s Rome. Ahead of the 6-month long event, authorities have announced that participants will enjoy a facilitate visa application procedure.
According to Saudi Infrastructure Expo, through a “new fast and easy-to-use online portal, international visitors from eligible countries can apply for an eVisa and discover the warm hospitality of Saudi people”. The portal is currently only open for exhibitors and visitors to the World Expo from 49 countries. Applicants can obtain a one-year tourist visa that allows multiple entries and spending up to 90 days in the country.
The countries eligible for the e-visa are: Canada, USA, all EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, San Marino, Switzerland, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Brunei, China (Including Hong Kong and Macau), Japan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
The country will be spending almost $8 billion to build the 6.6 square kilometre pavilion for the exhibition. Designed in a spherical shape to mirror the exhibition’s vision of ensuring equal opportunities for all participants, the exhibition centre is being built close to the King Salman International Airport to facilitate seamless transfers through a dedicate metro line from the airport to the event grounds.
Held since 1851, the World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges. They constitute a large-scale platform for education and progress, presenting the latest achievements and technologies, promoting international cooperation in economic development, trade, arts and culture, and disseminating science and technology. Over the years, besides achievements in different fields, the World Expos have left behind now world-renowned landmarks, like Paris’ Eiffel Tower, Brussels’ Atomium or Seattle’s Space Needle.
The year 2030 will also coincide with the culmination of the Saudi Vision 2030 programme, a project started by Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, in an attempt to diversify the country’s economy from oil. Aiming to attract 100 million foreign visitors by the end of 2030, Saudi Arabia plans to invest $1 trillion in its tourism industry. Among other projects that are part of Vision 2030, the country is developing what it calls “the city of the future”, complete with a 170-km-long line of skyscrapers, along with several mega projects that are meant to completely transform Riyadh by the end of the decade.
