When Khaleej Times approached one of the sellers, he agreed to reduce the selling price to Dh8,000
Goods and passports with stamps from Expo 2020 Dubai are sold online for thousands of dirhams.
Advertisements placed by vendors now offer the coveted passports – which were being sold for Dh20 during the event – for anywhere between Dh2,000 and Dh9,000. The six-month show ended on March 31 and had more than 24 million views.
The 50-page passport booklet contains drawings and images of the three themed pavilions (Mission Possible – The Opportunity Pavilion, Alif – The Mobility Pavilion, and Terra – The Sustainability Pavilion), as well as Al Wasl Plaza – the crown jewel of the Expo Site – as well as other Dubai landmarks, such as the city’s iconic skyline.
A seller has listed two regular Expo passports and a limited-edition white passport on the Dubizzle classifieds site for Dh9,000. All three passports are believed to be in pristine condition, inside and out, and bear 217 stamps in total. When approached by Khaleej Times, the seller agreed to reduce the selling price of the passports to 8,000 Dh.
Another seller, offering to sell his Expo passport for Dh2,500, claims the document has only been used a few times and is “perfect upside down”. Another seller offers an Expo passport with 20 stamps for 2,000 Dh – but not without a warning: this one has some wear.
It’s not just passports that seem to be in high demand after the world’s biggest show closed its doors more than a month ago. Souvenirs and accessories, such as Expo pins, passport holders and lanyards, are also up for grabs on the hugely popular TikTok app (see video below):
A TikTok user who goes by the name @nerveegent claims his friend sold a passport for Dh1500. “It’s a business for those with disposable income,” he says.
A statement from Dubizzle was expected at the time of this report’s filing; however, the classifieds website advises users never to transfer money or financial information to any seller on the Internet. “For your safety, all transactions must be done in person,” it says.
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Khouloud Azouz, a Lebanese citizen living in the United Arab Emirates, also listed her passport on the website for Dh2,500. “There is a fine line between a souvenir and a good investment. It is good that the passport has value; [we] You might as well take advantage of it and use it to get a return on investment.”
The resident says she has a “beautiful badge” from the closing ceremony of the mega event, which she intends to keep as a souvenir. The passport she put up for sale features 33 flag stamps from different countries. “If it makes money, I drop it,” she says.
waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com