Eyeing World Expo 2030, Riyadh to pump in billions to become global metropolis

While the Expo is estimated to attract 40 million people from all over the world,  Riyadh is readying its infrastructure for about 100 million visitors per year by 2030.

With an eye on hosting the World Expo 2030 with a $8 billion bid, Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh has put in motion a mega makeover plan with construction work worth $400 billion underway to become a global mega city.      

Riyadh is in contention for hosting the mega fair in 2030, as are Busan in South Korea, Odessa in Ukraine and Rome in Italy. The winner will be selected on the basis of voting by eligible countries and should be known by November this year.      

Fahd Al-Rasheed, CEO of the Royal Commission of Riyadh City who was here for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023, said he is confident of winning the bid, but the makeover process is anyway underway as he wants Riyadh to become a global city in the true sense.    Speaking with a select group of journalists, Al-Rasheed said Riyadh can be a perfect host for the Expo 2030 with a $250 billion economy and being the 40th largest city in the world.

The city with a population of 8 million people has been growing fast and is witnessing huge infrastructure building activities.

Projects worth $400 billion are already underway here, which includes the world's largest metro network and a new airport and several new hotels and the $8 billion estimated cost for hosting the expo is nothing in comparison, he said.  The new airport will have a capacity to handle 120 million passengers a year. Al-Rasheed also said more than 50% of the countries with voting rights have pledged support for Riyadh's bid.

Asked whether Iranian and Israeli pavilions would be there if Riyadh hosts the expo, Al-Rasheed said the geopolitics of the Middle East is complex but Saudi Arabia will invite all countries that would have relations with his country at that time.   While the Expo is estimated to attract 40 million people from all over the world,  Riyadh is readying its infrastructure for about 100 million visitors per year by 2030, Al-Rasheed said.

Riyadh Expo, with a potential theme of 'Foresighted Tomorrow', is expected to create three million jobs across several business sectors including the addition of 120,000 hotel rooms by 2030.