India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai attracts more than 128,000 visitors in first 25 days
Minister says massive footfall testimony to growing global interest in ‘New India’ story
Dubai: The India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai recorded more than 128,000 visitors in the first 25 days of the six-month-long event, a top Indian minister has announced.
Taking to Twitter to reveal the visitor numbers to his country’s pavilion, Piyush Goyal, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister, said “massive footfalls are a testimony to the growing global interest in the New India story”.
Expo started on October 1 and concludes on March 31, 2022.
Dubbing India Pavilion as the ‘crown jewel’ of the Expo, Goyal claimed that “it has emerged as the most visited and liked pavilion”.
The Indian Consulate in Dubai also tweeted: “India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has achieved 100k visitors’ milestone in three weeks of its inauguration since October 1, 2021, one of the most visited pavilions at the Expo.”
In a pinned tweet, the pavilion stated that the inauguration by Goyal, who is also minister for Consumer Affairs, Food, Public Distribution and Textiles, marked the beginning of an extravagant journey of India at the Expo.
Legacy pavilion
Set to be a legacy pavilion that will continue on even after the six months of the world fair, the India Pavilion allows visitors to explore India’s culture and heritage, exhibiting its achievements and investment opportunities in various sectors.
With various Indian states showcasing traditional cultural performances and business opportunities, India Pavilion has been a crowd puller especially during the festive season of Navratri and Dussehra.
Festive events
Hundreds of visitors have witnessed the cultural performances on each night of these festivals and several more are set to visit the pavilion when it hosts a mega celebration of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights next week. India Pavilion has also been visited by many high-profile leaders, celebrities and social media influencers.
Discussions and seminars on topics ranging from space technology to water security, tourism and more have been taking place at the pavilion, which also has a mobile ‘India Innovation Hub’ where startup Indian companies are showcased.
After the turn of Indian states Gujarat and Karnataka, the Union Territory of Ladakh is currently in focus at India Pavilion.