Among the day’s visitors was Dubai Ruler and Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who went on a tour of the UAE Pavilion followed by several others DUBAI: Tens of thousands of ticket holders attended the first day of the Expo 2020 Dubai on Friday despite smoldering temperatures and high humidity levels organizers said. Among the day’s visitors was Dubai Ruler and Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who went on a tour of the UAE Pavilion followed by several others. An impressive 53,000 ticket holders passed through the gates from 10am onwards on Friday despite temperatures that reached highs of 39C and 50 percent humidity levels. “Given the high temperatures and humidity, we were pleased with the turn-out,” said an Expo 2020 Dubai spokesman. The day ended with a series of firework displays to mark the start of the six-month-long expo that was postponed from 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic hit – taking the world by surprise. This week the Expo will see various events taking place including a conference on biodiversity and a series of special expo national days – the first taking place on Saturday for the French Pavilion.