DUBAI: Pakistan is all set to showcase its investment and tourism potential at the Expo 2020 Dubai through a series of events during the six-month exhibition, Khaleej Times quoted a senior government official, as saying.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that the country will promote its soft image at the expo, while showcasing rich art, culture, heritage and industry during a 30-minute walk inside the pavilion that is divided into eight key spaces.
“Pakistan will present itself as a land of opportunities for tourism, commerce and investment. [The] expo is a great opportunity to show our immense potential to the world,” Dawood told Khaleej Times during an interview.
Unique design, ideal location
Pakistan pavilion, The Hidden Treasure, is covering an area of 35,000 square-feet at an ideal location. It is the largest-ever pavilion constructed outside the country.
“We have constructed a state-of-the-art pavilion at a very good location in [the] Opportunity District. The pavilion will attract investors and tourists to Pakistan because of its unique design,” Dawood said.
“With an inviting façade that will change colours in the day and night and an immersive walk through experience, the pavilion is expected to attract the majority of an estimated 25 million global audiences at the exhibition,” he said.
Dawood said that many cultural events and business seminars will be organised at the multipurpose halls of the pavilion.
“It was a huge challenge to use thousands of individual aluminium units of different sizes and colours to design the facade of the pavilion. However, the design team did manage to create an optical illusion for [the] visitors, as they walk by the unique structure,” the adviser said.
Dawood attributed the credit to the artist Rashid Rana for building a multicoloured structure, representing Pakistan’s culture, pleasant weather and history.
He also lauded the efforts of principal curator Noorjehan Bilgrami for designing the ‘inner journey’ of the pavilion.
Digitalising visitor data
In reply to a question on how to digitalise the visitors’ data at the pavilion, the adviser said it is a daunting task but efforts are on to achieve the targets.
“We will offer a one-stop facility to the potential visitors and investors who are willing to explore the tourism landscape and investment options in the country,” he said.
Pakistani diplomats across the globe will arrange visits of investors and tourists to the Expo 2020 Dubai to make it a huge success, he said.
“All Pakistani ambassadors and diplomats will organise tours from respective countries to Dubai during the six-month long exhibition,” he said.
Developing IT industry
Dawood said that Pakistan’s IT industry recorded a remarkable growth during the last financial year by posting record $2 billion exports for the first time in the 75 years history of the country.
“We have been building up a startup ecosystem to promote the IT industry in the country. IT exports are likely to surge 50 per cent during the current financial year and may cross $3 billion by June,” he said.
The IT exports reached $2.12 billion in the fiscal year 2020/21 as against $1.44 billion in the preceding year, according to the latest data released by the Commerce Ministry.
“We are building a culture to promote entrepreneurship in the country. The government has offered several incentives in taxes and procedures in the Federal Budget 2021/22 to promote startups and encourage IT exports,” Dawood added.
