RIYADH — Fahd Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City has confirmed that Riyadh is ready to host World Expo 2030. Riyadh's file to host World Expo 2030 in Riyadh is very strong, Al-Rasheed said, adding that Riyadh was able to fulfill all the technical requirements, as he pledged that Riyadh would present an exceptional version of the Expo. During a press conference, Al-Rasheed expected that more than 40 million visitors will visit the exhibition, half of them from outside Saudi Arabia. This is in addition to more than a billion people through the Metaverse technology, which will be provided for the first time in this edition. Al-Rasheed made remarks after the Members of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation witnessed the cultural, artistic and cultural diversity of Saudi Arabia, during their recent tour to review its ability to host the World Expo 2030 exhibition. The BIE, during the conclusion of the trip, has praised Riyadh's ability to organize this cultural event, due to the city's development and economic potential. The Chairperson of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Patrick Specht said that the opportunity to visit Riyadh to review Saudi Arabia's hosting file was a great experience. He said that they had the honor to meet Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Salman, noting that the Crown Prince was very clear that the Kingdom's Vision 2030 was able to achieve many of the ambitions. Dimitri Kerkentzes, secretary general of BIE, has confirmed that he had looked at the infrastructure potential of Riyadh, expecting that the expo exhibition would be well suited to Saudi Arabia, which comes in line with its achievements during the recent years. He said that they had doubts earlier of how this project will proceed, but it has dissipated. Kerkentzes indicated that they are now reassured that the project is progressing well, indicating that he has a good impression of Saudi Arabia and its projects. The findings of the Enquiry Missions will be discussed by the BIE's Executive Committee in May 2023, which will decide to forward to the General Assembly the candidatures it considers to be feasible and viable. In November 2023, during the 173rd General Assembly of the BIE, the host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected via secret ballot by BIE Member States, on the principle of one country, one vote.
