Riyadh to host Expo 2030

Following a landslide vote of delegates, the Bureau international des Expositions (BIE) has named Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as the host city of Expo 2030, to be held between 1 October 2030 and 31 March 2031.

Other cities in the running were Moscow, Russia; Busan, South Korea; Rome, Italy; and Odesa, Ukraine. Riyadh received 119 of 182 votes cast by BIE delegates.

Saudi Arabi's presentation to BIE included a video in which Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo - just recruited to the Saudi league at a reported cost of $200M - said how much he likes the country.

Theme of the Expo will be "The Era of Change: Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow".

The Government of Saudi Arabia expects the Expo to attract close to 40 million visitors while creating jobs, attracting tourism sector investment, and fostering new trade partnerships.

In May, long-time Tourism Ireland CEO Niall Gibbons was recruited to be Head of Tourism of Saudi Arabia's $500 billion NEOM development - including a "superyacht destination" at Sindalah Island, and a 3-hotel luxury resort at Leyja on the Gulf of Aqaba - currently under construction.

Plans are to complete in time for the Expo the development of (1) King Salman International Airport with a capacity of 120 million passengers, and (2) 4,540,000 additional hotel rooms.

The Expo site will cover an area of more than 2 square miles, feature 246 event participants, and is expected to receive more than a billion digital visits to its Metaverse Pavilion.

Saudi Arabia's E-Visa program is now available in around 60 countries.

Clearly, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is pulling out all the stops to position Saudi Arabia as a big player on the world stage.