Dubai Expo Korea Pavilion, Cumulative Visitors Reach 1.1 Million... Successfully Concludes

The End of a 182-Day Journey

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi]The Korea Pavilion at the Dubai Expo, hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and organized by KOTRA, concluded its 182-day journey on March 31 this year with enthusiastic support from 1.1 million visitors since its opening in October last year. Including 2.3 million online visitors to the Virtual Korea Pavilion, a total of 3.4 million people visited the Korea Pavilion.

According to KOTRA on the 31st, the Dubai Expo, held for the first time in the Middle East and Africa region, took place over six months from October 1 last year under the theme "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future," with participation from 192 countries. Although the opening was postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the local government and organizers made efforts to attract overseas visitors by exempting quarantine for inbound travelers, resulting in 20 million people visiting the Expo site worldwide.

Various prominent figures also consistently visited the Korea Pavilion. Approximately 3,000 key visitors came over six months, including Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Ruler of Dubai; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai; King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden; Zuzana ?aputov?, President of Slovakia; and Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Saudi prince, among others, who also visited the Korea Pavilion.

The Korea Pavilion showcased advanced Korean technology and traditional and modern culture under the theme "Smart Korea, an Infinite World Presented by Korea," aligned with the Expo’s main and sub-themes through exhibitions and performances. The exhibition space, designed for hands-on experiences, seamlessly bridged reality and virtual worlds, presenting new perspectives and visions on mobility through augmented reality (AR) and media art.

The souvenir shop, where visitors could find traditional Korean lacquerware boxes and innovative products from small and medium enterprises, as well as the Korean restaurant offering dishes from bibimbap to Makgeolli and snowflake bingsu, blending tradition and the Korean Wave, were very popular. The Korean restaurant also won joint 2nd place in the casual dining category at the Dubai Expo Restaurant Awards, which were decided by visitor votes.

The Korea Pavilion received intense media attention, with local media visiting almost daily for coverage. Over 470 domestic and international journalists visited to report on the pavilion, resulting in approximately 1,120 media exposures. The online magazine Timeout Dubai selected the Korea Pavilion as a "must-visit impressive national pavilion at the Dubai Expo."

Additionally, the Korea Pavilion won the main prize in the interior architecture and design category at this year’s Red Dot Design Award for its exhibition design. The Red Dot Design Award is considered one of the world’s top three design awards alongside the iF Design Award and IDEA.

The promotional booth for the 2030 Busan World Expo hosted various events, making a strong push for Busan’s Expo bid. Engaging content such as electronic tattoo experiences and photo opportunities with ‘Boogi,’ the Busan Expo mascot, significantly contributed to raising Busan’s recognition.

KOTRA President Yoo Jung-yeol said, “This Expo served as an opportunity to showcase Korea’s advanced technology and culture to the world and share a future vision. At the Expo, known as the economic and cultural Olympics, we could truly feel Korea’s elevated status as a technology and cultural powerhouse compared to the past, and it was a chance to engrave Korea’s brand value not only in the Middle East but globally.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.