Who from Busan in South Korea, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia or Rome in Italy will host the 2030 World Expo? Response this Tuesday, November 28, after a vote by the member countries of the International Exhibition Bureau. The headquarters of the BIE is in Paris and in recent days, the three candidate cities and countries have stepped up their efforts to try to secure the final votes.
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In a salon located on the very chic Place Vendôme, in the heart of Paris, Saudi Arabia has set up a “media oasis”. A space in which the Ministry of Media presents the modernization projects undertaken by the country: the construction of futuristic cities or districts, such as Neom or the New Murabathe renovation of the ancient capital of Diriyah to mark attachment to heritage.
On the eve of the vote by the International Exhibition Bureau, the target audience is journalists as well as French political leaders and ambassadors from different countries.
Abdullah Al Khouraif is a Saudi influencer and part of the Media Oasis team. “ This involves identifying the project, explaining our file, he describes. We want to inform people who want to know about the Saudi file, show what exists in Saudi Arabia and why we would be very enthusiastic to organize Expo 2030. It would be a big challenge and we hope that we can win. »
The Korean metropolis of Busan, for its part, has chosen to show itself in the streets of Paris: on taxis, on posters. And if the Saudi crown prince had come in June to present Riyadh’s case, Busan and Rome sent high-level emissaries to plead their cases in this final stretch. In recent days, the South Korean president and the mayor of the Italian capital came to Paris.
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