Two Million Visitors to Australian World Expo Pavilion

More than two million visitors have seen the latest in Australian products and technology on show at the Australian Pavilion at World Expo 2005 in Japan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile said today.

The Australian Pavilion was opened on 25 March in Aichi, Japan and the two millionth visitor toured the pavilion over the weekend.

“Visitors have been particularly impressed by the innovative Australian technology used in the pavilion. This is a standout accomplishment for an event held in one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world,” Mr Vaile said.

“It is pleasing to note that the Japanese media have rated the Australian Pavilion in the top 5 of 121 national pavilions at the Expo. Our Pavilion has been consistently profiled in the Japanese media with more than 500 newspaper and 90 television stories since Expo opened”.

Feedback from Pavilion visitors also showed they were impressed with the outstanding Japanese language abilities of the Australian Pavilion’s staff.

“This milestone of two million visitors underscores the popularity of the Australian Pavilion at this important global event and reinforces Australia’s commitment to the Australia-Japan relationship, including through our involvement in the Expo,” Mr Vaile said.

“Australians can be proud of the magnificent Australian Pavilion which projects a contemporary image of our nation and provides a unique platform for our businesses to promote exports to Japan.”

The Australian Pavilion has hosted more than 60 business events promoting a wide range of industry sectors including tourism, energy, film and TV, education, agribusiness, food and wine, investment, environmental technology, information and communication technology, automotives, sport and fashion.

“Australia’s involvement has also promoted our arts community to an international audience, with more than 500 Australian arts and entertainment performances held to date.”

“I congratulate the hundreds of Australians who have contributed to making the Australian Pavilion a success and enhancing the profile of Australia’s business and cultural assets on the world stage,” Mr Vaile said.

Contacts: (Minister Vaile) 02 6277 7420