From a sleepy fishing village, Dubai has grown to be a large metropolis comparable to any western capital city

In the next few days, the Bureau International des Expositions, is holding its 154^th General Assembly meet in Paris to vote to select the city that will be given the honour to host Expo 2020. In the 153rd meeting, which was also held in Paris, some six months ago in June, it had accepted the candidacy of Dubai (UAE), Izmir (Turkey), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Yekaterinburg (Russia), after Thailand had withdrawn its offer to host.

All the candidates mentioned above have their own individual themes that they wish to project and expect the Expo 2020, if it was nominated in their city. This event would invite international interest, whereby millions of visitors would come to see what the Expo 2020 offers.

According to the information available, Izmir, in Turkey, has a lot of international fair experience and hopes to attract about 30 million visitors. They expect that their theme: "new routes to a better world: health for all" will attract visitors to Izmir, which is said to be the birthplace of western medicine. It is also where Hippocrates and Galen of Pergamon have lived and studied. Izmir's Expo2020 plan covers some 400 hectares to house health campuses, universities, research centres, new hospitals and rehabilitation centres. They hope to create a world health hub in Izmir.

In the case of Sao Paulo, Brazil, which has a multi-racial cultural background, the city is already the host to FIFA World Cup scheduled for 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016. They have ear marked 502 hectares for Expo 2020 and their theme is: "power of diversity: harmony for growth". In order to be able to conduct the above two great international events, work is already in full swing and Sao Paulo expects no hurdles in being able to do well if they have the opportunity to host Expo 2020. Though they have not indicated the number of visitors they expect to host for this event, it would still be substantial considering the past and immediate future plans for this great city.

It will be the first time for Russia to host Expo 2020, if Yekaterinburg is selected. They expect to attract 12 million visitors to the show. According to the information available, this will be held between 1^st May 2014 and 31^st October 2014, and it is expected to be the second largest after Expo 2015 in Shanghai, China. They plan to survey world opinion through seven universal questions and the theme: "global mind - how we can imagine the world of tomorow.” To carry this study, they have already embarked on a tour by a group of students to bring connectivity to distant areas and introduce their children to advanced technology and equip schools with internet access.

Set against all these three competitors, Dubai city plans to host Expo 2020 in a grand manner. They plan to cover, naturally, the whole of the Arab world, covering the Middle East, North Africa and southern part of Asia. They expect, apart from many advanced western nations, countries like India, China, Japan, Australia will wholeheartedly support and participate in the Expo 2020 when it is held in Dubai, city of joy!

Their theme is to bring about a platform for connectivity to help, pioneer new partnership for growth and sustainability. In other words, "creating the minds, creating the future."

From a sleepy fishing village, Dubai has grown to be a large metropolis comparable to any western capital city. Its infrastructure is as well built as one can see and enjoy in Europe, America or elsewhere. Well laid out roads, monorail and metro in full operation, public transport at extremely competitive price, medical facility free to residents, but for nominal registration charges, Dubai can boast of being the modern Utopia for most.

In the past traders from other gulf countries came to secure their needs from Dubai and today, this city is the epicentre of business activity for the whole region. With a strong currency, business has always been brisk with a teeming expatriate population from several neighbouring countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The working population from other countries like Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand have also found a heaven on earth in the hospitable soil of Dubai and the federation of seven emirates of UAE has gone up by leaps and bounds in every endeavour they have undertaken.

Dubai was the first emirate to set up a wonderful Golf course, right in the middle of desert. Its ruler, late Shaikh Rashid paved the way for what Dubai is today; he envisioned the need to build the world's largest man made port so that the largest of oil tankers can easily berth there; his thought and foresight has been carried to this day and Dubai is the only desert city in the world where one can swim in the beach, go for a skiing and return to the cool air-conditioned comfort of a home! Visitors who frequent Dubai for business, have adequate entertainment and amusements available if and when they are accompanied by their family.

Dubai is fully prepared to host Expo 2020 and plans are ready to be launched at a cost of $8.4 billion to build additional infrastructures that would be needed for this purpose. Its newly completed third terminal is awesome in design and efficient handling of thousands of visitors every day. If Dubai is rightly chosen to host this great event, it will facilitate trade and commerce in a very big way as this will bring minds of many nations together in the short space of time of six months and create an everlasting friendly future. Dubai is the fittest of the four candidates.

(AK Ramdas has worked with the Engineering Export Promotion Council of the ministry of commerce. He was also associated with various committees of the Council. His international career took him to places like Beirut, Kuwait and Dubai at a time when these were small trading outposts; and later to the US.)