UAE National Day celebration turned into Expo win celebration

Abu Dhabi: A gathering on the occasion of the UAE National Day turned into a double celebration for about 1000-strong members of an Emirati community in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday following the positive verdict on the Expo 2020 host city.

The news came at the end of their gathering to celebrate National Day. Everyone was delighted, according to Ahmad Hassan Bin Hanifa, an Emirati government employee.

“We’re very proud because this is such an achievement for the UAE, especially Dubai. Expo 2020 will give the UAE a great reputation across the world and it will be a strong push for economic growth,” Bin Hanifa said.

He said the real estate market will gain from the win, so it is great for many sectors of the economy.

“It’s not just Dubai that will benefit from hosting Expo 2020, I think the Expo will also benefit from being in Dubai,” Bin Hanif added.

Ali Hassan Al Keem, an Emirati government employee said: “It’s not just Dubai that’s happy; the whole UAE and GCC are happy because we are all one. The Expo is a big move [to increase] work opportunities, and improve economic growth. This is the thing we have all been looking [forward to]. All eyes will be on the UAE. We are ready to host the Expo because we have all the infrastructure — the buildings, hotels and transportation,” Al Keem said.