Dubai: India Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai has registered 900,000 visits since its inauguration on October 1, 2021.
The pavilion was inaugurated by Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs & Food & Public Distribution and Textiles, and Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha.
As of February 4, the pavilion registered 905,021 visitors.
In his tweet, Goyal said: “New India’s new milestone @Expo2020Dubai. Over 9 Lakh people have already visited the spellbinding India Pavilion. #IndiaAtDubaiExpo continues to capture the world’s imagination with its insight, innovation & opportunities.”
At present, India Pavilion is hosting ‘Kerala Week’, which was inaugurated on Saturday by Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala and Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai.
During Kerala week, the state will showcase its business potentials for investment in various key sectors along with its culture and tradition through a series of events. Kerala Week will witness government engagements with industry leaders, business organisations and one-to-one meetings with an intent to bring more investment to the state in key growth sectors.
The ‘Health & Wellness’ week, which concluded on Saturday at India Pavilion, helped India to showcase opportunities in “Health Delivery, MedTech, Pharma, Medical Travel and AYUSH” sectors as well as created a channel of interaction with governments of different countries, businesses, and industry leaders.
High-profile visitors
The high-profile visitors to the pavilion since its inauguration include Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas & Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs; Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs; V Muraleedharan, Minister of State for External Affairs and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs; Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Chemicals and Fertilisers; Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat; Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology and Minister of State for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; B.S. Yediyurappa, Former Chief Minister of Karnataka; and India’s Foreign Secretary, Shri. Harsh V Shringla; Dr K. Sivan, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) & Secretary, Department of Space, among others.
India Pavilion has made its mark among the 192 participating nations by being recognised as one of the most iconic pavilions at Expo by the American Institute of Architects.
States such as Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and UT of Ladakh, J&K, and Goa among others have exhibited their sectoral expertise and business ecosystem along with cultural heritage and sourced investment opportunities from global investors.
Sectors such as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), New and Renewable Energy, Space, Urban and Rural Development, Oil & Gas, Textile, Knowledge and Learning, and Tourism have held respective weeks to highlight the growth and investment opportunities in these areas.
Celebrity visits
India Pavilion has also hosted various renowned Bollywood celebrities including Deepika Padukone, Janhvi Kapoor, Jaaved Jaaferi; singers such as Salim-Sulaiman, Hariharan, Neha Kakkar, Benny Dayal, Jonita Gandhi; Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza and the famous fashion designer, entrepreneur and filmmaker, Manish Malhotra to name a few.
Cultural offerings
Additionally, the pavilion has showcased the cultural diversity of the various participating states by displaying their products, hosting cultural performances, etc. Key Indian festivals such as Navratri, Dusshera, Diwali & Christmas were celebrated with great enthusiasm by both Indian and global visitors.
Upcoming events
In the coming weeks, India Pavilion will witness participation from states such as Tamil Nadu, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Sectors such as Information and Broadcasting, Energy Conservation, Environment & Sustainability, Tribal Affairs will also display their potential and collaboration opportunities to the world at India Pavilion.
