Party’s over: Dubai’s monthslong Expo 2020 comes to a close

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The pandemic-delayed Expo 2020 in Dubai is closing. It’s a comedown from eight years of anticipation, over $7 billion in investment, 240 million hours of labor and six months of festivities. The fate of the fairgrounds is clear, with some pavilions dismantled and others rebranded for a new business district. But the deeper legacy of the event proves more elusive. In the end, the billions of dollars, frenzy of construction and barrage of publicity proved powerless against the coronavirus, which battered global tourism. Concerns about the city’s chronic debt and oversupply problems linger. Nonetheless, Dubai has bet on Expo to enhance its profile and boost its economy as it rebounds from the pandemic.