Visitor numbers at Expo 2020 in Dubai will soar during the world fair's final week, which is expected to be its busiest since opening six months ago.
Gates will shut at 3am on Friday after the closing ceremony late on Thursday, which officials have promised will be mesmerising. The final tally of the number of visits will be released on April 1.
The number of visits inched close to the 21 million mark on Tuesday, with 1.8 million visits registered in the previous seven days, as tourists and residents line up to be part of the largest global gathering since the start of the pandemic.
We have been able to dissect what the SDG goals mean, make it simple and get people engaged
Nadia Verjee,
chief of staff of Expo's People and Planet Expo programme
“We are expecting high attendance, it’s our last weekend with people getting their last stamps from the country pavilions,” said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications on Thursday.
“It’s about just enjoying the last week of the Expo and connecting with all the countries.”
Busy weekend
Numbers are expected to be boosted significantly on Thursday evening when Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman takes the stage for a four-hour concert at the Jubilee stage.
This will be followed by a Friday night performance by Jason Derulo, the American R&B singer-songwriter known for viral tracks and platinum singles.
Fans can get autographs signed by Olympic gold medallist Petra Vlhova at the Slovakia pavilion at 5pm on Friday and hear about her journey to take the first spot in Alpine skiing at the recent Beijing Winter Games.
The worlds fair will double up as the city’s main sporting centre this weekend.
Runners will be off to an early start at 6.30am on Saturday for 3km, 5km or 10km routes in the last Expo Run event.
Filipino music fans will have a touch of Saturday night fever with headline performances this weekend. Rachelle Ann Go can be seen at 9pm on the Jubilee stage – the actress and singer had a starring role in the hit West End production Hamilton.
Rico Blanco, another popular singer-songwriter from the Philippines, will then take the stage at midnight.
On Sunday morning, cycling enthusiasts of all ages and fitness levels can ride around the site with Andy Schleck, a former Tour de France winner, starting at 6.30am.
Music shows will continue through the week with Bollywood’s Sunidhi Chauhan performing on Tuesday at 8.30pm at the Jubilee stage.
Inspiring change
The Expo has also been about inspiring people to make changes in their lives that will positively affect the environment.
Theme weeks at Expo have given visitors a real understanding of the United Nations' sustainable development goals.
Subjects including climate change, inclusion, food and agriculture and water have drawn more than 14,000 speakers, including world leaders and activists, who delivered ideas to protect precious resources.
More than 65,000 people have taken part in an immensely popular Expo challenge that began in January.
They pledged to take action to save the planet in 17 spaces or majlis created by Expo across the site.
People collected leaflets that provide them with everyday examples on each of the UN's 17 sustainable development goals that cover health, education, safeguarding oceans and forests.
Visitors vowed to take steps to save energy at home, walk, cycle or take public transport, stop throwing away food, shop responsibly and recycle clothes and electronics.
Expo organisers said it was crucial to break down the 17 targets so the young and old could better understand how to be involved in a worldwide movement.
Nadia Verjee, chief of staff of the Expo People and Planet programme, listed it as one of the “greatest successes”.
Green goals were no longer targets of policymakers and governments but conscious choices that people could relate to.
She said Expo helped to take “the sustainable development goals out of the corridors of New York where they typically live and explain them in everyday language".
“We have been able to dissect what these goals mean, make it simple and get people engaged,” Ms Verjee said.
“It’s about every single one of us being part of that journey.”
Expo Dubai organisers plan to continue the engagement in the UAE and overseas in a legacy project when the world fair ends on March 31.
“This is what we are planning in legacy because it seems like people care and that they have really understood the themes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity and how relevant it is to their lives,” Ms Verjee said.
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Pathaan
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