Expo 2020 Dubai recorded more than one million visits in the past seven days, bringing the total close to 16 million since the world's fair began, organisers said on Tuesday.
Weekly numbers have been regularly exceeding the one-million mark, making February a record month for the Expo, with 4.4 million visits.
Total visits reached 15,995,423 since the site opened on October 1, with half of those in February being repeat visits.
A third of visits were from overseas, organisers said, with significant numbers from India, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Russia and France.
"As we've said all along, visitation at expos does tend to increase during the last months and weeks, and obviously now with more flights open we do hope that remains still true for ourselves," said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Organisers had initially set a target of 25 million visits before the start of the Expo.
Visits in the past week were boosted by an '80s night, featuring Bonnie Tyler, Boney M and Earth, Wind & Fire and Salman Khan's globetrotting Da-bangg Tour.
Organisers announced that the steering committee of the College of Commissioner Generals of Expo 2020 Dubai endorsed extended pavilion opening hours to 11pm.
"We've seen that visitors are wanting to stay on into the evening when they come," said Ms McGeachin.
More than 500,000 pupils from public and private schools across the Emirates have taken part in the Expo School Programme.
As of February 25, the site had received 532,794 pupils through the programme, which was curtailed to 62 academic days following the suspension of school visits during January.
Expo announced a relaxation of its Covid-19 rules, with face masks now optional while in outdoor areas of the site. However, visitors are encouraged to continue wearing them in “entertainment venues with large attendances”.
The virtual visitation numbers crossed 150 million, including more than three million virtual visits to the school journeys, with China, India, UAE, Philippines and Egypt among the main countries.
Meanwhile, Expo has launched a special white passport for those with 100 pavilion stamps or more.
Visitors with a minimum of 100 stamps in their existing yellow passport can present it at an Expo visitor centre, to receive the memento free of cost, as appreciation for their loyalty and commitment.
Organisers revealed last month that the 50-page passport, priced at Dh20, was the most popular souvenir sold at the event.
The souvenir book allows people to collect stamps at each of the pavilions they visit during the six-month event.
Expo 2020 passports come with watermarked pictures on each page and a unique code number, as well as space for personal details and a passport-sized picture.
Each pavilion offers a different stamp and visitors to the Expo on December 2, the UAE's 50th anniversary, received an exclusive stamp.
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
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Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
