Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and Unboxed: Creativity in the UK, are due to showcase Britain and drive international tourism, trade and investment to the UK this year.
The events arrive as the government confirms the UK is now one of the strongest and most open economies in Europe, as testing and quarantine restrictions end for fully-vaccinated visitors.
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries (pictured) and minister for exports Mike Freer will lead the government’s delegation at UK National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai.
As part of the Birmingham 2022 showcase at Expo, the Queen’s Baton Relay will be present at UK National Day alongside His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge. After Expo 2020, the Baton will continue on its 72-nation tour before arriving in Birmingham for the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games on 28 July.
A decade on from London 2012, the UK will also host the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, the Rugby League World Cup and the World Gymnastics Championships, in addition to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
The visit to Expo 2020 Dubai is part of a wider international programme across the Gulf region from 7-11 February, including a keynote address from the culture secretary at the launch of VisitBritain’s newly-announced £10m international Great Britain marketing campaign.
The culture secretary will also speak at the Culture and Sport in the Global Economy event, taking place on 9 February, alongside global sporting organisations including Qatar 2022, the Global E-sports Federation, Rugby League World Cup, City of Gold Coast and World Games 2022.
The event will be hosted by the West Midlands Growth Company and is part of a series of events across the UAE for Birmingham 2022’s Business and Tourism programme, a £24m central and local government investment into the West Midlands.
Minister for exports Mike Freer will be attending Expo and talking to the business community to promote the ‘Government’s Export Strategy’ and the ‘Race to £1 Trillion’ target, to boost exports and help the UK recover from the pandemic.
