Expo 2020 Dubai has welcomed more than four million visits through its gates since opening to the public on October 1.

Figures released on Monday showed there were 4,156,985 visits in the past seven weeks, with the popular Irish show, Riverdance, helping to draw the crowds during the evenings throughout November.

Organisers said sales of the half-price November ticket, which costs just Dh45 until the end of the month, were also going strong, with more than 120,000 weekday tickets sold over the past three weeks.

In terms of the number of virtual visits, Expo said those going online to catch a glimpse of the world fair reached a staggering 22 million.

"I'm also delighted to say that the schools programme is very active now thanks to the better weather," said Sconaid McGeachin, senior vice president of communications for Expo 2020 Dubai.

"Over the past 31 days, Expo has attracted over 200,000 [pupils] from private and public schools across the UAE.

"[Pupils] have enjoyed four dedicated school journeys related to themes like the Legacy of the UAE and Sustainable Planet."

Coming up this week and for the first time in Expo history, the fair will host the World Chess Championship.

Starting on November 24 and running until December 16, visitors to the Dubai Exhibition Halls will be able to see two world-class players go head-to-head.

Magnus Carlsen, from Norway, and Ian Nepomniachtchi, from Russia, will start their 14-game match this week and will battle it out for a €2 million ($2.25 million) prize pot, split 60-40.

The world fair has welcomed hordes of international visitors since opening last month and passengers flying on Emirates have been able to get their hands on a free day-pass to the Expo site too.

To claim your pass, just enter your details on the Emirates website under the Expo tab and the tickets will be mailed directly to the person who booked the flights. The offer is valid until March 31, 2022.