The Norwegian Expo pavilion passed 1,5 million visitors last week, which means Norway is already halfway to reaching its estimated goal of 3 million visitors during EXPO 2010.
This is earlier than expected, and if the number of daily visitors continues at the same level, the Norwegian pavilion is likely to reach a total of 4 million visitors by October 31st.
With an average 20 000 visitors per day, we have already surpassed 1,5 million visitors. The guests at the Norwegian pavilion like how the pavilion itself is divided into different sectors; each representing different Norwegian landscapes. At night we also have a unique multimedia show featuring Secret Garden, explains Norway’s Commissioner General for EXPO 2010, Arild Blixrud.
More than 90 percent of the visitors are Chinese. They are welcomed by Norwegian and Chinese guides, and one of the most popular activities is to take pictures together with the guides.
Yan Lu is one of the Norwegian Guides. Yan was born in China and although he has lived in Norway most of his life, he still speaks Chinese fluently. For him, working as a guide at the 2010 expo has been a memorable experience, and he thinks working as a guide at EXPO is both challenging and exciting. Many Chinese visitors want to hear about his experiences from growing up in Norway as ethnic Chinese. This is a subject which he is only happy to talk about.
The guides talk to countless people every day, and sometimes feel a bit tired by the end of a shift. However, Yan thinks the visitors at the Norwegian pavilion are generally positive and interested, and that the wooden design of the pavilion makes a particular impression on the visitors.
The queues to visit the Norwegian pavilion are long, and extra information will now be put up in the waiting area, so that queuing visitors can learn about Norway and the pavilion to prepare for the visit.
We want to provide the visitors with some background information, and at the same time make the waiting period more entertaining, explains the Director of Communication for Norway at EXPO, Philip Lothe.
