Dubai: For Raja Al Gurg, a leading Emirati businesswoman, Dubai was a frontrunner in the race to host Expo 2020 and the emirate’s ‘can do’ attitude made the bid successful.
Despite the aggressive competition to host this mega event, the possibility of Dubai winning the bid for Expo 2020 was high from the beginning, she told Gulf News.
“Dubai was a frontrunner to win the bid. The reasons are many, but the most predominant one is that Dubai does not simply have a ‘can do’ attitude — it has a ‘can excel’ attitude towards any campaign it commits to.”
With all due respect to the other bidding cities, she said hosting a world Expo requires existing world-class infrastructure and facilities, and it’s on this score that Dubai was miles ahead of the competition, be it airport, roads, hotels, shopping destinations and recreational facilities. “Besides, the emirate is well experienced in hosting international events and exhibitions. The cosmopolitan nature of the emirate that is home to more than 200 nationalities provides a great hospitality environment for visitors.”
Raja is managing director of the Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group (ESAG), a family business comprising 23 divisions that deals in trading, manufacturing, retail, franchise and real estate. Raja joined the group in 1989 as a member of the board of directors. Currently she looks after the day-to-day operations and expansion of the business.
Comparing Dubai to the other countries that bid for Expo 2020 — Turkey, Russia and Brazil — she said: “Dubai is a door to a market of more than 1 billion consumers. It is the first post-oil economy in the region and also one of the predominant post-modern world cities of our century. Dubai represents the essence of globalisation at work.”
The Dubai benchmark
A combination of all the above factors is a feat to achieve; the cities competing from Turkey, Brazil and Russia have miles to go before reaching the Dubai benchmark, Raja said.
She particularly referred to Dubai’s readiness to host such a mega event, saying how the emirate plans to create a new landmark to host the Expo, which will serve as a permanent attraction beyond 2020.
Despite all of Dubai’s achievements so far, hosting Expo 2020 is an added value to the entire country, according to Raja. “This new addition will also enhance the emirate’s infrastructure, positioning Dubai as a key global city ready to host even more high-profile world events in future,” she said.
Raja believes that the unprecedented story of the UAE’s success enabled Dubai to win the bid. Citing an example from her experience, she said: “The forward-thinking, stable policies of the government have meant that the country enjoys an excellent image abroad and is rated better than most of the developed countries in terms of encouraging business development.”
“I recall the memories of my father Easa Saleh Al Gurg who worked closely with the UAE’s founding fathers to fulfil the vision of a modern nation that stays true to Islamic ideals. The Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group is more than 50 years old now and many of our milestones are associated with the progress of the nation over the past 41 years. From setting up the first traffic light in Dubai at Al Maktoum Street to signing our agreement with Grundig, there have been many such achievements.”
She added that Dubai’s successful bid is also a testimony to the great strides the UAE has achieved in every sector of the economy. Also, the UAE’s stability, security and economic resurgence amid difficult regional and global circumstances further supported its Expo 2020 bid.
Highlighting one more advantage, she said: “Dubai’s geographical and economic position in the world — with almost half the global economy to the east and the other half to the west — enhances its appeal as the ideal host for such a global event.”
“Besides creating a new destination within the emirate to host the Expo 2020, Dubai’s infrastructure development is on course already. The emirate is building what will be the world’s largest airport, expanding ports, other transport facilities and sporting stadia,” she said.
Raja said the event is expected to be a major boost for all sectors in Dubai and the UAE, with tourism and real estate set to experience significant development. “Dubai will witness robust growth in tourism as a result of the event. The real estate sector will get a tremendous boost as visitors enhance potential trade in sectors such as retail, distribution and property,” she said. “More than 277,000 jobs are forecast to be created by Dubai Expo 2020 and for each one of these, an additional 50 jobs are expected to be sustained across the wider region.”
For Raja, hosting the Expo in Dubai will translate into benefits for everyone. “Expo 2020 will attract 25 million tourists and create opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses. More Metro lines, ports, infrastructure, tourism and entertainment facilities will also be built in time for the event. All these will improve the quality of life for both UAE citizens and expatriates,” she said.
Highlighting her company’s support in hosting the event, she said: “The UAE’s leadership believes in change and innovation and the Expo 2020 bid is one such instance that showcases the ‘can do’ attitude of our nation. Easa Saleh Al Gurg Group wholeheartedly supports the UAE’s Expo bid which will help foster the principles of innovation, partnership and collaboration between participants and visitors.”
