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Manchester announces bid to host World Expo

Xinhua, September 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Manchester confirmed Thursday it wants to follow Shanghai and Milan by hosting the World Expo in the 2020s.

A huge site spanning almost 122 hectares has been put forward as a possible location for what would be the biggest ever public event staged in a Britain.

The site, known as Ashton Moss in Tameside borough, is less than 10 kilometers from Manchester city center and has been identified as a suitable location to host World Expo 2025.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has urged the British government to bid to host the event which would cost in excess of 1.3 billion U.S. Dollars. Officials at GMCA say it will demonstrate a Britain that is open for business and committed to trade following the referendum vote to leave the European Union.

World Expo takes place every five years and is larger in size, scale and duration than any other global event including the Olympics and football's World Cup. The Expo was held in Milan last year and in Shanghai in 2010. The event lasts for six months.

Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council, said: "It has become an important identity internationally, crucial to our long term trade, growth and investment and World Expo 2025 could help the UK to build on this momentum."

GMCA believes a Manchester World Expo would offer Britain trade and investment a boost at least comparable to the 2012 London Olympics, and would attract up to 28 million visitors as well as exhibitors and potential investors from around the world.

The authority, made up of the 10 local councils in Greater Manchester believe the Expo site could become a hub for new economic growth with a legacy of jobs, housing and investment.

Should Britain decide to bid to host the World Expo, it is likely to open bids from across the country.

Councillor Kieran Quinn, GMCA lead member for investment strategy and finance said: "We believe we can make a compelling case to stage this hugely significant event and it can be a powerful ingredient in the drive to rebalance the nation's economy."

Britain has not staged a world expo since Queen Victoria's Great Exhibition took place in London in 1851. Endit