In just 18 days, the Pakistan pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 attracts over 100,000 visitors. Over 100,000 people visited the Pakistan pavilion...

 In just 18 days, the Pakistan pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020 attracts over 100,000 visitors.

Over 100,000 people visited the Pakistan pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 in only 18 days, making it one of the busiest pavilions at the mega event since it began on October 1.

On Thursday, the Pakistan pavilion's official Twitter account announced the news in a tweet.

"The date of our 100,000th visitor was October 18th. On this wonderful occasion, we'd want to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the staff that worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure such a steady stream of guests "According to the tweet.

Pakistan Pavilion Director General Rizwan Tariq verified the report, telling Gulf News in Dubai that the "reaction has been amazing since the start of Expo 2020 Dubai."

"We are quite pleased to inform that the pavilion got over 100,000 visitors during the first 18 days of October," he said, adding that the "pavilion has drawn the attention of tourists with its spaces and activities that expose Pakistan's "hidden gem."

According to Gulf News, around 8,000 people visited the pavilion on the first day of the festival, with 55,000 people visiting in the first week of October.

"Within three days of hitting its first milestone [of 100,000], the pavilion had attracted 120,000 people," the article stated, adding that the reaction had been tremendous, particularly on weekends.

Earlier this month, Abdul Razak Dawood, the Prime Minister's Commerce Adviser, announced that the pavilion had had 55,000 visitors in the first week of the Expo.

In an official statement, Dawood said, "The reaction we received was astounding, and the amount of visitors we had in the first week was beyond our expectations."

The adviser welcomed everyone who came to the pavilion and shown an interest in Pakistan's culture, praising its depth and diversity.

"It's a nation with a lot of tourist and investment potential," he stated at the time.

The facade of the pavilion

Rashid Rana, one of Pakistan's most prominent visual artists, is the mastermind behind the pavilion's game-changing design, which has wowed both Expo organisers and visitors.

Rana's design is inspired by Pakistan's rich diversity.

"Geographically, climatically, culturally, racially, and ethnically, our nation is one of the most varied locations on the earth, and I wanted it represented in the design," he told Dawn.

'Unity of All That Appears' is an artistic intervention that consists of 24,000 seemingly similar but in fact distinct pieces that are fractionally varied in size and colour yet welded together in harmony.

"The driving reason behind the design is the shift between seasons and the unity among distinctive groupings within the country," Rana stated.

The pavilion's construction and inside displays were supported by a trust established to generate the necessary funds through individual donations. The pavilion's exterior is the first point of contact, and Rana's design has succeeded in attracting visitors, who leave mesmerised after an engaging, multi-sensory inner journey, primarily curated by Noorjehan Bilgrami, a noted multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and educationist best known for her tireless work in reviving Pakistan's traditional crafts.

With an attractive façade and an interactive walk-through experience, the pavilion, themed 'The Hidden Treasure,' intends to promote Pakistan's immense prospects in tourism, business, and investment to the projected 25 million worldwide audiences.

The Dubai Expo 2020 opened on October 1, a year later than planned owing to the Covid-19 epidemic, and will run through March 31, 2022.