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Lovemore Chikova
Development Dialogue

In November, the world will know the hosts of the World Expo 2030 following months of lobbying and showcasing of capacity and readiness to host the international business fair.

The World Expo attracts the entire globe and Zimbabwe has in the past reaped huge benefits from such an expo.

The previous edition of the expo was held in Dubai dubbed the Expo 2020 Dubai, and Zimbabwe’s exhibition stand proved to be popular with visitors.

To show the importance of the World Expo, the top leadership of the country — President Mnangagwa, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, several Government ministers, leaders in the private sector and experts from various fields visited the Expo 2020 Dubai where they presented a solid bid to lure investors to the country.

The next edition should be more exciting for Zimbabwe considering the developmental path that the country has taken, especially the thrust to open up the country for business.

World Expo 2030 is all about business interactions and the marketing of destinations for business, tourism, trade and other related economic activities.

This is why November will be an important month for this expo, when the hosts will be known through a secret ballot.

Four countries are in the race to win hosting rights for the World Expo 2030, and these are the South Korea, which intends to host the event in Busan City, Italy (Rome), Ukraine (Odesa), and Saudi Arabia (Riyadh).

A delegation from BIE recently visited South Korea on assessment mission, and was left thoroughly impressed with how the Asian country is prepared to host the event.

For six days, president of BIE administration and budget committee Mr Patrick Specht and his delegation was in South Korea to inspect its preparedness.

The inspection was specifically meant to verify if Busan, the city to host the expo, will be able to host the event in financial and logistical terms, and if there was enough political backing, as well as enough support from private companies and citizens.

The conclusion was that Busan had everything that it would need to host the World Expo 2030.

The Bid Committee for World Expo 2030 Busan took advantage of the presence of the delegation and presented its fourth and final bid to host the event.

The bid touched on Busan’s expo-related preparedness in fields such as finance and public relations, as well as the redevelopment project of Busan North Port, the proposed main expo venue, and plans to build expo facilities there.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol met the BIE officials in a show of political will to support the bid.

The delegation also met government officials, lawmakers, business leaders and ordinary citizens.

“The Busan World Expo will provide an opportunity to share our diverse experiences and strengths, seek solutions to the challenges faced by humanity and foster innovation,” President Yoon was quoted as saying.

As emphasised by President Yoon, World Expo 2030 is expected to provide an opportunity for governments, businesses and citizens to exchange ideas and collaborate on global issues such as poverty, economic growth and climate change.

This augurs well with the theme of the World Expo 2030: “Transforming Our World, Navigating Towards a Better Future.”

The theme is important as it calls for a fundamental transformation of the world to create a better future in light of various global challenges which include climate change, technological inequality and social polarisation.

Busan mayor Mr Hyeong-joon Park has since indicated that his city has everything it needs to host the World Expo.

He told Mr Specht that the City of Busan was a much more advanced city.

Mr Park said the campaign team would exert themselves in both working on their fourth official presentation in Paris next month and winning over the hearts of undecided members from around the world.

“I think we have shown that Busan is ready for the Expo just as we prepared, as well as why we would need an Expo seven years later and why it has to be Busan,” he said.

The BIE delegation, while in South Korea, visited experience booths run by the Korean conglomerates and listened to explanations about the companies’ new technology through mobile translation devices.

At Kia’s booth, the BIE members checked out the automaker’s latest EV9 model, and heard about the company’s ESG initiatives.

They then took a practice ride on the Office Omnipod by LG Electonics and listened to explanations about the company’s state-of-art display technologies.

In Samsung Electronics’ booth, Specht wrote a short message regarding Busan’s bid to host the Expo on a Galaxy S23 Ultra, while trying out the camera on the Galaxy S23 Ultra by taking a picture with the rest of the delegation.

The inspection of South Korea also centred on items such as the reason behind and theme of the Busan World Expo, infrastructure facilities such as sites and transportation, accommodation measures, financial plans and expected number of exhibition participants and visitors.

The bidding committee had this to say: “Busan is a representative city of Korea in various fields such as the environment, future technology, development and welfare, and will be the best city for implementing the Expo’s theme.”

Speaking at a press conference, the BIE delegates said they were especially impressed by and grateful for the enthusiasm demonstrated by citizens on the streets to host the world event.

“Busan has everything that it takes to host the World Expo,” said Mr Specht, “In terms of hospitality, Busan is excellent.”

In recent months, Busan Expo project officials have been stepping up their efforts to win the hearts of developing countries by offering long-term support for those seeking to emulate South Korea’s economic success.

The BIE delegation has since visited Riyadh, while a delegation from Ukraine visited BIE in Paris to promote Odesa. Rome has also been visited.

The journey to South Korea’s bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan started with the submission of a letter of candidature to BIE. Busna is South Korea’s second-largest city and greatest port city.

The City of Busan has developed three points that act as its advantage in hosting the World Expo 2030.

Well-developed

Busan has played a crucial role in South Korea’s path from being a recipient of economic assistance into a donor country within half a century.

It is playing a leading role in the transformation process amidst the Fourth Industrial Revolution. On July 23, 2019, Busan was designated as a regulation-free zone for Blockchain technologies to test innovative technologies and foster related businesses.

A centre for Korea’s future industries, Busan Eco Delta Smart City, is becoming a logistics hub of Northeast Asia.

This thriving city now serves as a centre for marine science and research and development and a home to relevant institutions, such as the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST).

 Well-placed

Busan is a transportation and logistics hub, and a connecting passageway from the Eurasian continent to the Asia-Pacific.

It offers easy access to well-equipped infrastructure such as airports, high-speed railways and top edged ports.

Busan is a much loved city with 40 million tourists visiting from many countries around the globe.

Whilst a thriving metropolis, it also offers a captivating natural environment emanating from the harmony among the sea — including the seven beaches in Busan — rivers and mountains.

This fun and lively city is at the forefront of promoting K-Culture through the holding of various cultural events, including the annual Busan International Film Festival, Busan One Asia Festival, and G-STAR.

Well-experienced

The municipality has an extensive experience of holding large-scale international events such as the Asian Games in 2002 and the APEC Summit in 2005.

Meaningful events it has hosted include: the 2011 Busan World Development Institute General Assembly; 2014 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference; 2014 and 2019 ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit; the 2015 IDB Annual Meeting; and the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) World Congress in 2022.

Busan, the 5th and 13th largest MICE city in Asia and the world respectively with outstanding talent pool and exhibition infrastructure (such as BEXCO), has outstanding expertise in hosting international exhibitions. This global megacity has full capacity and heartfelt aspiration to host the World EXPO 2030 and is indeed a powerful potential for the realization of the ideals of the Bureau International des Expositions.

The city is the gateway in Northeast Asia, easily accessible via airport, railway, roads or ports.