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Preparations are in full swing for Seychelles to participate in the Dubai Expo 2020. The destination’s natural environment, opportunities for investment and its achievements towards sustainability and conservation will be showcased during the six-month event.

Scheduled to be held from October 2020 until April 2021, the Dubai Expo 2020 is the first expo of this magnitude and importance to be held in the region of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA).

For six months, Seychelles – 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean - will take part with different organisations including governmental and civil societies.

The island nation’s participation in this international exhibition is being coordinated by the Creative Industries and National Events Agency (CINEA) and the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB).

“The Dubai 2020 motto: ‘Connecting minds and creating the future’, incorporates the mind-set of the organising committee working effortlessly towards the success of this event for the country,” said Galen Bresson, chief executive of CINEA speaking about Seychelles’ preparations for the Expo.

The island nation will be one of the 192 countries taking part in the event. The main site of Expo Dubai 2020 will be a 438-hectare area located between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, near Dubai's western border with Abu Dhabi.

The Dubai Expo 2020 is the first expo of this magnitude and importance to be held in the region of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (Jimmy Baikovicius, Flickr) Photo License: CC BY-SA 2.0

“Seychelles might be small in size, but we are placing ourselves on the global market next to many countries through our participation. The concept for this Expo reflects a lot of our country’s conservation philosophy,” explained Bresson in an article featured this week in the Seychelles Nation.

Bresson added that: “Our aim is to show the world that, in spite of our 250 years of existence, we have been able to maintain a good balance in co-existing with our natural environment.”

STB’s chief executive Sherin Francis said that all is progressing well to make the islands' participation a success.

“Seychelles’ participation in the Dubai 2020 Expo is an excellent platform for visibility for the country, not only as a tourism destination but also as a nation. More than ever, we need to place ourselves on the map in showcasing our natural beauty, our culture and our various achievements in all aspects,” said Francis.

The local team is working in close collaboration with the Dubai Expo 2020 team to ensure that Seychelles’ participation carries every single visitor onto an imaginary journey where, they will get a feel of the islands, through visual, audio and graphics presentations.

Aside from the official events, Seychelles will also be engaging the Dubai Expo 2020 visitors through conferences and workshops centred on culture, finance, environment, and tourism.

The first world expo took place in 1851 in London and has since been a platform for countries to showcase their achievements and culture to the rest of the world.

The Dubai 2020 Expo is expecting over 25 million visitors over the 173 days. The United Arabs Emirates selected the theme "connecting minds, creating the future", with sub-themes being sustainability, mobility, and opportunity.

Dubai has also been emphasising on investments in various sectors such as economic growth, real estate, environmental avenues, and public affairs.

In recent times, Dubai has made major investments in real estate as well as introduced a world’s largest solar power project which is all set to start by Expo 2020.