Expo 2020 Dubai visit numbers have increased significantly to a total of 7,167,591 visits in the period up to 20th December, as organisers continue to maintain robust COVID-19 measures, ensuring a safe and exceptional event for all attending.

Expo 2020’s virtual visitation rose to 31.6 million over the same period, mainly driven by the uptake of Live@Expo, which enables visitors to take a bespoke live virtual tour through the site.

The largest major global event to be held since the start of the pandemic, Expo 2020’s latest COVID-19 measures include the expansion of the number of on-site PCR testing facilities to four, and free testing for all Country Pavilion staff. While all frontline workers and entertainers continue to be tested on a regular basis, some close contact events, such as parades and roving entertainers, have been temporarily suspended as a short-term precautionary measure.

With more than 90 percent of the UAE population fully vaccinated, Expo 2020 Dubai has required mandatory vaccination and boosters of all Expo and International Participant staff, volunteers, contractors and service providers. Visitors ages 18 and above are required to present proof of any vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within the previous 72 hours. In addition, Expo 2020 maintains on site sanitisation stations and mandatory face-masks both indoor and outdoor.

Among the latest activities, Expo 2020 Dubai was honoured to receive a great footballer and Expo Ambassador Lionel Messi; electrifying science show Brainiac Live and plenty more live entertainment, buoyed by enthusiastic uptake of the Expo 2020 Festive Pass.

Knowledge & Learning Week, the latest engrossing Theme Week under Expo’s Programme for People and Planet, presented a three-day global education summit, a number of World Majlis events, an interactive workshop-style event around experiential learning, and a Business Forum on harnessing and challenging today’s knowledge to better prepare for the future.

The seasonal spirit has been felt across the entire Expo site ahead of 25 December, with the unmissable Christmas tree at Al Wasl Plaza lit up in a special ceremony on 18 December, and all kinds of ongoing yuletide events, activities and shopping, plus a full menu of festive food and drink options, all delighting visitors.

Expo’s programme of live concerts during the next seven days glitters with a truly international cast, including Dina Stars and Apo & The Apostles (23rd December, Jubilee Park), Egyptian entertainer Tamer Hosny (23rd December, Jubilee Park), Grigoryan Chant and Naia Izumi (24th December, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre), London Community Gospel Choir (24th and 25th December, Jubilee Park and Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre respectively), Lea Salonga (25th December, Jubilee Park), and Kazakh National Ballet (23rd December, Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre).