By Omari Joseph @ theunspecialist
In 2021 , Guyana had its first-ever standalone pavilion at the World Expo . Guyana used that historic stage to market its tourism product and investment opportunities . Minister of Tourism , Industry and Commerce , Hon . Oneidge Walrond noted that Expo 2020 Dubai “ is a perfect , somewhat unrivalled opportunity for us to showcase Destination Guyana to the world . There will be millions of people traversing that venue , and there is no better time for us to market ourselves .”
Minister Walrond was right . Guyana has remained relatively unknown globally , even after becoming an oil-producing nation and one of the world ’ s fastest-growing economies . This obscurity made Expo 2020 Dubai the ideal chance for Guyana to make a first impression . Many Guyanese observing from home thought the expo meant that the delegation got a fancy trip to one of the world ’ s most popular destinations . So the question on many minds was , “ How important is Expo 2020 Dubai ?”
The World Expo ( also known as a World ’ s Fair ) is a big deal , especially for the city that wins the bidding process to host the event . A last-minute entry in 2011 saw Dubai winning the right to host Expo 2020 over four other bidding cities . Ultimately , Dubai Expo 2020 was marketed
as the ‘ World ’ s Greatest Show of human brilliance and achievement .’ The expo lasted 173 days , from October 1 , 2021 , to March 31 , 2022 , and recorded over 24 million visits . The best of the world ’ s food , music , culture , technology , art and science was on display during the expo .
The theme of the Expo was “ Connecting Minds , Creating the Future .” Three sub-themes were chosen for the expo : opportunity , mobility , and sustainability , each with its corresponding pavilion and thematic district . Guyana ’ s pavilion was aptly placed in the opportunity district under the theme ‘ Home of nature-Land of Opportunity .’ The government of Guyana wanted the pavilion to be a space for creating linkages by sharing the investment potential within tourism and other sectors .
Perhaps the most important day for the pavilion was Guyana Day on October 19 , 2021 . It was the day when the spotlight was on Guyana and a chance for Guyana to display itself through the arts . On their Facebook page , the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport posted , “ Guyana ’ s national treasure , our Guyanese Culture , took centre stage this morning in Dubai at the World Expo 2020 … and the world loved it .”
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