Dubai: UAE retailers have expressed their support for Dubai, which has won the bid to host the World Expo 2020. World Expos attract millions of visitors, and are held ever five years.
“This milestone event will truly put Dubai and the nation on the global map and certainly lead to bigger business opportunities for every industry sector. It will be a powerful platform to showcase the potential the region has for numerous first time visitors,” Renuka Jagtiani, vice chairperson of Landmark Group told Gulf News in an emailed statement.
Expo 2020 will have a positive impact on the retail sector, with the higher number of visitors throughout the six months of Expo, according to George Kostas, CEO of Majid Al Futtaim.
“It is up to organisations such as Majid Al Futtaim Properties to deliver on Dubai’s aspirations and invest in improving our products, our services, our customer experiences and ensure those visiting our great city during 2020 act as our ambassadors when they return home,” Kostas said.
David Macadam, CEO and vice chairman of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres, said that retailers will see increased sales due to the higher number of tourists.
Increased tourism
Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) said it expects 25 million visitors at Expo 2020, and 20 million visitors annually by 2020, double the amount of tourists today. “We need double the mall space to accommodate the increased tourism,” Macadam said.
“I believe that once we have the new retail space, we will have more brands than any other location in the world,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kamal Vachani, director of Al Maya Group, which operates a supermarket chain in the UAE, said that Dubai’s strategic location, security, and infrastructure positions the emirate as the best place to host the Expo.
Dubai’s Expo site will be across 438 hectares of land, next to Al Maktoum International Airport at Dubai World Central.
