Multiculturalism entails the coexistence of communities from diverse cultures and traditions who seek to understand and accept the values and customs of other people without promoting segregation. The sustenance of multiculturalism has numerous benefits, which include the sharing of ideas, learning about diverse cultures, respecting human dignity and eliminating negative stereotypes. Language differences act as one of the major barriers to the efforts of promoting multiculturalism because forging relationships between different communities requires a lot of dedication and patience. The culture of the United Arab Emirates has undergone significant transformation starting from the early 1900s when the country started to witness the arrival of other nationals, including Iranians, Indians and Pakistanis. The continued influx of expatriates transformed the UAE into a cosmopolitan community that has only witnessed minor cases of disputes and conflicts between expatriates and local communities. A significant percentage of Emiratis are fluent in Arabic but have little knowledge of foreign languages, which limits the cultivation of a multicultural environment and transfer of knowledge about the local culture to expatriates (Carter & Dunston, 2004). Another concern relates to the statistically low number of Emiratis compared to the expatriates, which has created the tendency by the locals to adopt measures to preserve their culture by minimizing foreign influence. Recently, there has been the emergence of hybrid cultures that differ from the local culture in the UAE and seeks to create an all-inclusive platform for interaction and exchange of cultural values and traditions. For example, the mall culture has emerged in response to the increasing presence of expatriates in shopping malls to promote an accommodative business environment. The opportunity to host the World Expo has significant social and economic effects on Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because of the influx of investors and tourists. The World Expo is a major global event, which attracts significant media coverage and exposure of various aspects of the host country such as infrastructural development, job opportunities and tourist attractions. By hosting the World Expo, Dubai would have a great opportunity to enhance international partnerships and create a lasting social and economic heritage whose effects would spill over to the entire UAE. Surveys on 1000 individuals drawn from various parts of the UAE indicate optimism on the effects of Dubai hosting the World Expo with about 75 percent of the respondents stating that they would not want to leave the emirates before the Expo (Fludernik, 2003). The surveys show that residents of Dubai and UAE expect the Expo to have positive effects on the local culture and multicultural relationships in the UAE with about 65 percent of the respondents encouraging family members and friends who live away to move to the UAE and enjoy the anticipated benefits of the Expo. Concerns on the negative cultural effects of the Expo are minimal with about 16 percent of the respondents anticipating negative influences on the culture of Dubai while 10 percent expect n