Competition Between Rome, Italy and Busan for Hosting the '2030 World Expo'

Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Buaeri] The Italian capital Rome is expected to compete with Busan for the hosting rights of the 2030 World Expo.

According to local media on the 28th, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi sent letters to candidates from various parties running for the mayoral election of Rome, expressing Italy's intention to host the World Expo in Rome.

In the letter, Prime Minister Draghi stated, "We will put forward Rome as a candidate city to host the 2030 World Expo," adding, "It will undoubtedly be a great opportunity for urban development."

However, the Italian government has not yet specified when it will submit the bid application.

Earlier, in June, the city of Busan submitted its bid application for the 2030 World Expo to the International Bureau of Expositions (BIE) in Paris, France, officially starting the bidding process.

The World Expo is divided into large-scale general exhibitions called "Registered Expos," held every five years, and medium-scale specialized exhibitions called "Recognized Expos," held in between. The 2030 event will be a Registered Expo. The host city will be decided by a vote of 169 member countries at the BIE General Assembly in November 2023. The member countries include 54 from Africa, 42 from Europe, 31 from Asia, 31 from North and South America, and 11 from Oceania.