Hundreds of enquiries and applications have been received from prospective Bahrain-based candidates in response to a call for volunteers for the Bahrain pavilion in Expo Milano 2015.

Almost all applicants reflected on the importance of heritage and environmental depiction of Bahrain as a tourism attraction.

“Depicting the cultural agrarian heritage of the country in a poetic, artistic and naturalistic manner is very close to my heart as it feeds on my fascination for the mystical charm of the Dilmun Civilization. I feel it is my humble duty to help uphold age-old riches and present them as presently evolving potentials,” wrote one applicant.

The Bahrain pavilion, entitled Archaeologies of Green, is built over an area of 2000 sq m and is designed to raise awareness of Bahrain’s singular agricultural culture and heritage as well as the importance of sustainable development practices.

Taking place between May 1 and October 31, over 20 million visitors from around the world are expected to visit the Expo in Milan.

As a result, volunteers are required to help represent Bahrain to world visitors and participants in Italy, a statement said.

The work experience programme launched by the Ministry of Culture last year was established to attract the interest of parties keen to enhance their skills and experience international dialogue, cultural exchange and hospitality. Volunteers who are accepted into the programme will receive a short induction to the Expo and Bahrain’s participation.

As spokespersons and representatives of Bahrain in Milan, volunteers must be dedicated culture enthusiasts with fluency in English as well as good presentation skills. Alongside the Bahrain Pavilion staff, they will be expected to guide visitors around the gardens and archaeological exhibition, providing information about the country’s history, heritage and the Pavilion objectives.

“We’re immensely pleased by the responses received thus far,” said Shaikha Mai, Bahrain Pavilion commissioner general.

“Our volunteer programme is very much in line with our mandate to develop sustainable tourism through cultural tour-ism and environmental tourism practices. Only by maintaining a dialogue that pro-motes international understanding, protecting our heritage and helping to create job opportunities can we contribute to national economic and social development.”

Archaeologies of Green was designed by Dutch architect Anne Holtrop in collaboration with the landscape architect Anouk Vogel and is the first pavilion whose construction has been completed amongst 50 other national pavilions from around the world.

Themed "Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life," the Expo Milano 2015 revolves around nutrition and sustainability, highlighting the importance of protecting the planet’s natural resources. The various national pavilions shed light on the diverse cultural characters of countries around the world, allowing visitors to sample traditional foods and learn more about the cultural attributes and agrarian heritages of different nations. – TradeArabia News Service