Official confirmations from countries that will take part in Expo 2027 have started coming in, says the director of the EXPO 2027 enterprise Dušan Borovčanin, noting that Serbia's goal is to make the 93-day event in Belgrade one of the most successful specialized Expos ever.

"According to the information we have at this time, I am certain it will really be one of the more successful Expos in decades. The estimate is that we will be able to attract between 120 and 140 countries to Serbia, and our ambitions are even bigger than that," Borovčanin told Tanjug at the weekend.

As a rule, the president of the host country sends invitations to other heads of state, Borovčanin said.

The invitations sent out to countries around the world are slowly arriving, he said.

"Official confirmations and acknowledgements have already started coming in. Switzerland has officially confirmed its attendance to the Serbian president, and we expect others, too, to officially confirm their attendance in the coming days, weeks and months," Borovčanin said, adding that this would be followed by the technical and organizational stages.

If Serbia attracts 120 countries to the event, it will be an all-time high when it comes to specialized Expos, Borovčanin said.

"Already when you reach 100 countries, you can say the world is really in Serbia. Our estimate from the time we made our bid was that Expo will have as many as 4.5 million visitors, but now our operating plans suggest that we will likely exceed that number. We are preparing for 6 million," Borovčanin said.

According to him, it is still too early to start ticket sales, but it is already known that there will be discounts for students, retirees, children, and that multi-day passes will also be available.

He reminded that Japan would host the Expo in Osaka in 2025, and that they began selling tickets 500 days before the event's start. So far, he added, they have sold seven million tickets, and Borovčanin expressed confidence that their estimate of 28 million visits will be achieved.

"Japan is a country with significant experience in organizing specialized Expo exhibitions. Osaka hosted the event in 1970, and Aichi in 2005," he said, noting that Japanese authorities have granted Serbia, as the next host, official observer status for the Osaka Expo.

This means, he explained, that Serbia will work alongside Japanese teams on-site for the next six months.

"This will start in January, when the final meeting of all international participants is organized. From that point, we will begin joint operational work, which will continue until the very end. For us, this is an invaluable experience," Borovčanin stated, adding that the next host after Belgrade is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Serbian Construction Directorate, he noted, is the managing authority for the project in Belgrade.

"The Ministry of Finance and Finance Minister Siniša Mali, who have practically led the candidacy from the very beginning and are now managing the project," added Borovčanin, clarifying that the project’s implementation is proceeding according to plan.

"Expo will change the global perception of Serbia. It is a unique opportunity to showcase everything we know about our country and everything we consider exceptional. We have so much to present—as a nation and as a country—our cultural, material, and intangible heritage, history, and traditions, as well as areas where we may not have traditionally excelled, such as the economy," he said.

He reminded that, despite Serbia's achievements, many countries still lack sufficient information about the business opportunities we offer.

He explained that a hallmark of Expo exhibitions is that each day of the event features a national day for one country.

"Every day, we will welcome high-level delegations led by heads of state, prime ministers, or foreign ministers, often accompanied by business representatives. This will give us the chance to communicate with every corner of the world and discuss everything important to us in both bilateral and multilateral contexts," he said.

Borovčanin believes that the citizens of Serbia will also find the exhibition very appealing, as it will allow them to discover countries and cultures, they might otherwise never have the chance to visit.

Original can be found at Tanjug.rs.