Seychelles will see many benefits after Dubai Expo, says organiser

The Seychelles Expo team presented the fold award to President Ramkalawan at State House. (Seychelles Nation)

Seychelles will see a lot of benefits from its participation in the Dubai Expo 2020, said the deputy general commissioner for Seychelles' Pavilion after he presented the gold award the team won to President Wavel Ramkalawan last week.

At the end of March, the gold award was presented to Galen Bresson, the deputy general commissioner, for Best Exhibition Design in the sustainability thematic district at an official awards ceremony. Following its return to Seychelles, the winning team met with Ramkalawan at State House, who said he was very proud of the achievement of everyone who contributed to the Expo.

"The work does not stop here. We now need to see how we continue to make the world know what Seychelles is all about, its culture and heritage and to continue to push forward the many agendas that we as a country can continue to advocate," said the president. 

Seychelles' Pavilion showcased the island nation's natural beauty and history, the steps being taken to safeguard them, as well as the opportunities for people to take part in their preservation. Designed to highlight the importance of treasuring nature, drawing from the country's lost treasure myths and treasure hunting culture, the pavilion featured the hidden treasures of the island nation.

Speaking after his meeting with the president, Bresson told reporters that to come out first among 190 countries is a huge achievement.

"This is not an award that is just handed out, but it is something really serious, where 14 jurors spend time to observe each pavilion, without any interference from us and based their decision solely on what they experienced," he said.

Bresson added that "the businesses are looking for investment opportunities but first and foremost they will be here on holiday with their families and that will be of great benefit to the tourism sector."

The next Expo will be in 2025, in Osaka, Japan, and Bresson has stated his desire to see Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, at that event. He said that Seychelles had huge exposure from its participation in the Dubai Expo and this means that the country can continue to participate in such events in the future.

"It is not just only Osaka now, there are other Expos in various countries around the world and I can say that Seychelles has already been invited to the U.S., Qatar and others, and these are the things we need to take advantage of," Bresson said.

Expo 2020 was held in the UAE from October 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022. It was originally scheduled for 2020/2021 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being postponed, organisers kept the name Expo 2020 for marketing and branding purposes and the event recorded more than 24 million visits in its six months.