The International Bureau of Exhibitions announced – today, Tuesday – that the Saudi capital, Riyadh, will host Expo 2030, significantly ahead of the South Korean cities of Busan and Italy.
Riyadh won 119 votes, compared to 29 for Busan and 17 for Rome, meaning that it won two-thirds of the 165 votes, according to the results of the International Bureau of Exhibitions.
The Secretary-General of the International Bureau of Exhibitions, Dimitri Kerkentzis, announced that “Saudi Arabia won Expo 2030 decisively,” congratulating Riyadh on its “overwhelming victory.”
“This exhibition will be a catalyst for the transformation” of the Kingdom, Kerkentzis said during a press conference after the vote.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said, “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will present an exceptional version of Expo 2030.”
He added that Saudi Arabia will focus on sustainable development goals during its hosting of Expo 2030.
The Saudi minister said, “We have worked on many initiatives, and we will devote our efforts to international cooperation, and we welcome you to Riyadh.”
These exhibitions allow the chosen country to “show itself to the world,” while being “a laboratory for architects,” BIE Secretary General Dimitri Kerkentzis told TV5 Monde in April 2022.
For example, the Eiffel Tower in Paris was built on the occasion of Expo 1889, the Atomium in Brussels on the occasion of Expo 1958, and the Space Needle in Seattle, United States, on the occasion of Expo 1962.
Expo 2020 in Dubai attracted 24 million visitors. The 2025 exhibition will be held in Osaka, Japan.
The first World’s Fair was held in 1851 in London.
