What does Saudi Arabia hosting of Expo 2030 mean for its economy?

Adam Lucente

Nov 29, 2023

Performers present the closing ceremony of Expo 2020 Dubai on March 31, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The world's fair was postponed from its original date of October 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. — Francois Nel/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia was awarded the 2030 World Expo on Tuesday, constituting another victory for the kingdom in its quest to become a center of global events.

The Bureau International des Expositions announced on X that Saudi Arabia won with 119 votes compared to South Korea’s 29 and Italy’s 17. The event will be hosted in the capital Riyadh.

It's official!
Under the theme "Together for a Foresighted Tomorrow", #SaudiArabia's capital #Riyadh will host the 2030 World Expo 🇸🇦 🤝 🌐@BIEParis @Riyadh_Expo2030 pic.twitter.com/oCF0L29c4n
— Saudi Embassy USA (@SaudiEmbassyUSA) November 28, 2023

The bureau is an intergovernmental organization that supervises world expos every five years. The events are world fairs designed to display the accomplishments of participating countries.