KUALA LUMPUR: The RM37 million Negaraku Expo at Dataran Merdeka had received 571,993 visitors as at this afternoon.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said the figure does not include visitors to side events which numbered more than 50,000.
“We expect the total visitors to reached 600,000 by the end of the day.
“We even had requests from visitors to extend the expo and showcase it in other parts of the country,” he said during the closing ceremony of the expo today.
Describing it as a rousing success, he said the expo received 15,000 visitors daily on weekdays and 40,000 daily on weekends and public holidays.
Negaraku Expo is inspired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who wanted an interactive and digital expo to attract Malaysians and introduce to them infrastructure that has been, and will be implemented in the country.
The expo, manned by 128 volunteers, highlighted the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) to the people, and raised awareness of the EPU's role in development projects.
It was divided into five domes, with each carrying its own exhibition theme: shared fortune, infrastructure facilities, life and well being, Malaysian lifestyle and brilliant future.
Highlights include interactive displays, including an airport terminal equipped with an air traffic control section for visitors to experience directing air traffic.
Visitors also enjoyed virtual train rides featuring the Light Transit Rail, Keretapi Tanah Melayu, Mass Rapid Transit and Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR).
Activities prepared for the crowd include concerts, futsal and go kart competition.
At the same time, Abdul Rahman noted that the expo had provided business opportunities for 84 food trucks which served local delicacies to visitors.
He noted that the food trucks achieved nearly RM2 million in sales.