By Lee Hyo-sik
With 100 days remaining before the southwestern port city of Yeosu hosts the World Expo in May 2012, the organizing committee is making a final pitch to attract millions of visitors from both home and abroad during the three-month event.
The Organizing Committee for EXPO 2012 Yeosu Korea said Tuesday that the expo will open its doors to visitors on May 12 through Aug. 12, under the theme ``The Living Ocean and Coast.’’ The opening will be exactly 100 days away on Feb. 2.
It said as of Jan. 30, 106 countries and nine international organizations have confirmed their participation in the largest global event ever hosted by the coastal city of Yeosu, South Jeolla Province. The Yeosu Expo aims to attract a total of 8 million visitors, including 550,000 from overseas.
``We had initially expected about 100 nations to take part in the Yeosu Expo. But the figure has already reached 106, with more countries considering opening booths. This shows the upcoming festival has attracted a great deal of attention from the global community,’’ committee spokeswoman Do Sun-mi said. ``We will be able to complete the construction of exhibition pavilions and support facilities by the end of February as planned. From March, we will start test-operating all established facilities in a bid to provide a perfect service to visitors.’’
Nearly 1.8 trillion won ($1.6 billion) has been spent to build exhibition halls and other facilities at the Expo site, as well as construct or improve roads and other transport infrastructure in and around Yeosu. The committee expects to spend a total of 308 billion won in operational costs, including personnel expenses.
Do said the committee has made an all-out effort to attract a large number of visitors during the three-month-long event by guaranteeing the quality of where they stay, and what they eat and buy.
``We have designated hundreds of restaurants, lodging facilities and shopping centers in South Jeolla Province and South Gyeongsang Province as our official business partners after a rigorous screening process. We have helped them conduct marketing activities and upgrade facilities,’’ the spokeswoman said.
These selected hospitality businesses will enable Expo visitors to enjoy the best-quality food, accommodation and shopping experiences, she said. ``We will constantly monitor the quality of their services and plan to add more businesses to our list to better serve more guests.’’ The list of restaurants, lodging facilities and shops recommended by the organizing committee is available at its website (https://www.expo2012.kr).