Dubai seemed to be ready for its victory as the fireworks lit up the Burj Khalifa shortly after the official results of the final vote were announced in Paris on Nov. 27. In the final round, jumping from 87 to 116 votes against 47 for Russian city Ekaterinburg, Dubai proved its right to host Expo 2020 with a simple majority of votes.

According to a Bloomberg report, two weeks before the final vote on the World Expo 2020 bid, the Dubai Ministry of Finance’s prediction was that Dubai would need to invest 8.1 billion USD to realize the ambitious plans for Expo 2020. After the final vote, The Economist reported that Dubai Expo 2020 will attract approximately 25 million visitors, will cost approximately 8.5 billion USD, “but will generate almost three times that amount.”

These estimations form a solid ground for hopes that Expo 2020 will further facilitate economic recovery of Dubai. The job market and infrastructure boost are underway. According to Gulf Business, the expansion plans are expected to create more than 277,000 jobs between 2013 and 2021, and nearly 40 percent will be in the travel and tourism sector.

The UAE’s fame of being a record-setting country is set to have its own resonance in the preparation for Expo 2020 with its aspiration to expand Jebel Ali port and Al Maktoum International Airport. These infrastructure developments can help make Dubai a more competitive actor in the global trade system.

Across the UAE, NYU Abu Dhabi students reacted excitedly to the news. Senior Layla Al Neyadi emphasized the importance of Expo 2020 in the promotion of the UAE’s reputation as a prosperous country.

“Just like Abu Dhabi has Formula 1, it brings people here, and the more people come here, the more they can understand what UAE is about ... the same can be said about having Expo 2020 in Dubai,” said Al Neyadi.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Scholars Program Alumna Noura Al Noman noted the importance of education development in preparation for the Expo 2020.

“Let's hope the Ministry of Education catches up and prepares the coming generation to make the best of Expo 2020 and work to control the worst of it, if any,” said Al Noman.

Freshman Moe Alblooshi highlighted the uniting spirit that Expo 2020 brings to the country.

“Dubai getting [an opportunity to host] the World Expo is not just Dubai’s accomplishment,” said Alblooshi. “[The] panel that decided that they want Dubai to host it, they did not only [have] faith in Dubai, but they [also] had faith in the government of the country. And they know that all of the different cities [of the UAE] will support Dubai in its exhibition.”