DUBAI: When Expo 2020 Dubai opened its doors to the world, 31-year-old Moroccan national Amine Zaanoun knew he wanted to visit as many pavilions as fast as he could — and now he has managed the monumental feat of visiting all 192 Country Pavilions in a mere two days.

By the end of the first day, he had walked about 20 kilometres and completed more than 27,000 steps. On his second day, he walked about 19.5 kilometres, bringing his total to almost 40 kilometres in the span of 48 hours — and he has issued a challenge for other visitors to follow his lead.

Completing the challenge was a no-brainer for the proud Abu Dhabi resident, who said that he wanted to represent Arabs at Expo 2020 Dubai, promote health and fitness, and encourage people from all around the world to visit the site.

Amine Zaanoun said, “Since Expo is being held in Dubai, I, as a proud Arab, wanted to represent all Arabs by promoting this challenge. At the same time, I want to encourage anyone who is overweight to exercise, as well as encourage people in general to visit Expo. I want to challenge everyone, men and women who live in the United Arab Emirates and all the tourists who are coming here, so they can be excited to visit Expo.”

Before his visit, Zaanoun said he carefully planned out his adventure. He made sure to drive from the UAE capital to the Expo site early in the morning, researched which pavilions were the most crowded, and made sure to visit them before peak hours to best avoid any crowds. He also planned to tackle the pavilions district by district, visiting one after the other.

The 31-year-old said that taking on the challenge around Expo 2020 gave him the opportunity to learn about countries from all over the world and experience new cultures — something he had always wanted to do.

He said, “The experience, challenging myself, was amazing. I want to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid for this initiative … The main thing I learnt through this experience was meeting new people. I also learnt about new countries. At Expo, I was able to see [the countries’] traditions, their different discoveries, the technology they each have. I saw what each country is distinguished for, what each country has to offer.”

Zaanoun said that while some of the most popular pavilions were among his favourite, he also really enjoyed visiting pavilions of countries of which he was previously unaware.

He said, “My favourite pavilion was the UAE Pavilion, of course. I also liked the Germany Pavilion, the technology presented there. Croatia also has a good pavilion — they have an electric car. There are also some islands that I have never heard of. Thanks to Expo, I was able to learn about these small islands.”

To anyone living in or vising the UAE, Expo 2020 Dubai is a must-see attraction, Zaanoun said, and he wants to encourage everyone to try and see as many pavilions as they can and to take on the challenge of meeting new people, learning about other cultures and staying fit.

Source: Expo 2020 Website