Mayor of Malaga explains in Dubai why city is the ideal candidate to host Expo 2027

The mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, and the president of the Malaga provincial authority, Francis Salado, have been explaining in Dubai why Malaga is the perfect candidate to host Expo 2027. They were speaking at the Spanish Pavilion at the universal exhibition which is taking place in the city at present, and the commissioner of the Spanish Pavilion, Carmen Bueno, and the Spanish ambassador to the Emirates, Iñigo de Palacio, were also there.

On this occasion, unlike the previous trip to Dubai to present Malaga’s candidacy in February, the speakers were addressing a specialist audience of commissioners from other countries and members of the Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) and they did so in English, including the mayor.

De la Torre spoke for 15 minutes, saying he did not think anything was more urgent than the theme for the Expo in Malaga, ‘The urban era: towards a sustainable city’. He explained that this meant trying to give a sustainable response to the population increase in cities, “where millions of people arrive from rural areas and increase the already high population concentration in many cities in developing countries,” adding that this is the perfect time to tackle the issue, offering new visions and solutions to city development through “town planning, digitalisation and awareness about development objectives which coincide with the road map to sustainability”.

Malaga’s bid to host Expo 2027 is backed by the Spanish government, the Junta de Andalucía, Malaga University and 170 associations and companies, including major names such as Vodafone Orange, Telefónica, Barceló, Meliá and Carrefour.

After the presentation, baritone Carlos Álvarez, who is from Malaga, soprano Berna Perles and pianist Rubén Fernández Aguirre gave a performance, and those present then enjoyed a cocktail party at which typical canapés from Malaga were served. Different videos about the city, the province and issues relating to Expo 2027 were also screened during the event.