World expo, why are States fighting to have them? A soft and smart power issue in L'Express, 26-06[Exposition universelle, pourquoi les Etats se battent pour les avoir ? Un enjeu de soft et smart power, in L'Express, 26-06]

Interview with Patrice Ballester. Rome, South Korean Busan or Saudi Riyadh? Next November, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), organizer of the World expo, will reveal the name of the city which will host the 2030 edition of the event. In the meantime, the diplomatic battle rages. On the occasion of the general assembly of the BIE, on June 20 and 21, in Paris, the leaders of the three countries still in the running took turns in France. Emmanuel Macron first received Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who defends Riyadh's candidacy. France has already promised its support. The president then spoke with the South Korean head of state, Yoon Suk-yeol, leader of the Busan project, then with the President of the Italian Council, Giorgia Meloni, who came to plead Rome's cause. The World expo is first and foremost a soft power issue. It is an opportunity to show one's power and reassert oneself on the international scene. "For six months, the host country becomes the showcase of globalization, the economy and technological advances," analyzes for L'Express Patrice Ballester, professor of geography and tourism marketing, specialist in World expos. Enough to give a serious advantage to States wishing to position themselves as key players in international relations. Even if it requires investment, the World expo guarantees a boost in tourism for the host country. The economic benefits are considerable. Like the Olympic Games, "it is one of the world events which welcomes the most visitors, and over a period of six months," notes tourism marketing professor Patrice Ballester. For example, the World expo in Milan in 2015 welcomed nearly 20 million tourists. That of 2020, in Dubai, postponed to 2021-2022 due to the health crisis, recorded 24 million entries. The event constitutes an ideal opportunity for the host country to establish its economic power. And this is partly what South Korea is seeking to do, via the Busan candidacy. This port city constitutes "the gateway to a part of Asia, a historic port reconfigured and moved for several years and which provides a waterfront to be developed for the occasion" believes Patrice Ballester. And if South Korea's influence is no longer in doubt, hosting the World expo would be a sort of "rite of passage", continues the geographer. "The State could officially show that it has reached the stage of a developed country, even if no one doubts it anymore." World expo, FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, national football championship, tourist opening, new geopolitical positioning, will the end of the 2020 decade and the 2030 decade be Saudi?