Saudi Arabia to invest more than $7.8b in Riyadh Expo 2030
ALBAWABA – Organizers will later on Tuesday announce whether the Riyadh Expo 2030, to be hosted by Saudi Arabia, will materialise, with other contenders including South Korea and Italy bidding to host the World Expo 2030.
The World Expo, which traces its history back to the 1851 Great Exhibition in London, is a months-long mega event attracting millions of visitors, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It is intended to respond to the specific challenges of the current time.
The Saudi bid, dubbed Riyadh Expo 2030, is expected to attract some 120 million visitors, should the Arab country.
However, the hosting of this year's event has been the subject of particularly intense lobbying from Italy, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, whose governments are all keen to host the 2030 World Expo.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has been at the forefront of the kingdom's efforts to bring the Riyadh Expo 2030 vision to life.
Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Expo 2030 bid to win the World Expo 2030 competition is the latest in the Saudi-Emirati race to become the economic hub of the region, noting that the UAE hosted the World Expo 2020 in Dubai back in 2021 – (Source: Shutterstock)
Notably, Riyadh hosting the World Expo 2030 would be the latest in a series of global events hosted by the Kingdom despite resistance from some lobbyists and political groups.
In fact, Saudi Arabia is set to host the 2034 football World Cup, having emerged as the only bidder for the event, AFP reported.
Notably, holding the Riyadh Expo 2030 would be the icing on the cake for de-facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's ambitious Vision 2030 program.
Reuters reported critics saying bin Salman is using the event to improve his country's image after the 2018 murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
It also bolsters Saudi’s position in the ongoing yet somewhat subtle rivalry with the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Is Riyadh Expo 2030 any closer to becoming a reality?
The Kingdom earmarked no less than $7.8 billion for Riyadh Expo 2030, according to Politico.
So far, Riyadh won French support for the first round of voting, with Macron advisers saying it was in return for some Saudi help on other issues at the heart of French diplomatic priorities. A European official told Reuters it had to do with Lebanon, without specifying.
Nonetheless, one of Macron’s advisers reaffirmed to Reuters that France’s commitment is limited to the first round of voting. More than one vote will be necessary if no country gets a majority on the first ballot.
But the recent events in Palestine and the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, may have triggered a slight shift in the Arab country’s alignment and its leadership’s relationship with the Israelis.
The Times of Israel has reported that the Israelis have withdrawn their support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the World Expo 2030.
US officials speaking to The Times of Israel earlier this month insisted that a normalization agreement between the two countries remains possible after the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Winning the World Expo 2030 competition would drastically advance Saudi Arabia's development and reform efforts, with Riyadh Expo 2030 at the heart of it, as the country invests billions in the capital city - Shutterstock
Yet, they acknowledged that the Palestinian component of the deal will likely expand significantly against the backdrop of the war. This complicates the issue, somewhat, especially with Saudi Arabia openly criticizing Israel’s onslaught on Gaza.
Instead of backing Saudi Arabia, Israel has decided to support Italy’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Rome, the Israeli news agency reported, via Kan.
Hosting of the World Expo 2030, and thereby what the Saudis hope would be the Riyadh Expo 2030, is regulated by the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE). The BIE was created nearly a century ago, now with 182 member states.
According to AFP, every member state – big or small – has a single vote. This means a vast global campaign is needed to ensure victory.
“Saudi Arabia won the communication battle by selling itself as the front-runner since the beginning,” said a BIE delegate from a small island in the Americas, echoed by other delegates, as reported by Politico.
If Saudi Arabia wins, the Riyadh Expo 2030 would be from October 2030 to March 2031 under the theme "The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow".
The most recent World Expo took place in 2020 in Dubai and the next World Expo is due in 2025 in Osaka, Japan under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives".
Other bids for 2030 came from the Russian capital Moscow and the Ukrainian city of Odesa. But Russia withdrew its bid in May 2022 shortly after its invasion of Ukraine in February that year, while Odesa did not make the final shortlist of three announced in June.
