(Bloomberg) —

Expo 2020 Dubai laid off employees as organizers seek to reduce costs following the planned one-year delay of the exhibition, according to people familiar with the matter.

There may be further cuts, some of the people said, declining to be identified because the matter hasn’t been made public.

A representative for Expo 2020 Dubai declined to comment.

Read More: Tokyo Olympics Delayed a Year as Virus Wipes Out 2020 Plans

Dubai’s Expo organizers last month asked to delay the event after the coronavirus pandemic prompted governments around the world to shut their borders, debilitating the global tourism industry.

The government of Dubai and the private sector have spent billions of dollars building hotels and facilities on the expectation that millions of visitors from around the world would attend the event.

The World Expo awarding body said earlier this month it will ask its member states to vote on a proposal to formally delay the event to October 2021.

Read More: Dubai Aims to Open Up for Tourists at the Beginning of July