South Korea lowers its prices to attract more spectators

The first edition of the Korean Grand Prix had nearly 170,000 spectators crowding the stands. However, most had attended the race for free, as the organizers did not want to show entirely empty stands to the cameras from around the world. For 2011, ticket prices were reduced so that spectators would be more encouraged to pay to attend the race.

The Land of the Morning Calm is determined to restore its image after a first edition full of controversies around delays in the works, followed by the lack of organization of the infrastructures that left thousands of spectators stranded around the circuit while the race had already started.

The lowest price now reaches $77 instead of last year’s $115, while the average price drops from $410 to $280. However, it is not certain that this will attract many more spectators, as the geographical location of the circuit must be considered: Korea intends to make the Yeongam region dedicated to the automobile industry, where the circuit would bring together equipment suppliers and automakers. Similarly, the circuit is expected to launch a new significant tourist activity in this region far from Seoul.

But the country is only at the beginning of this program. The infrastructure, particularly hotels, is not yet at full capacity, and we remember the more or less quirky stories relayed by the global press. Once the construction program is completed, the event will certainly establish itself as one of the new benchmarks, but that is not yet the case.

The organizers are well aware of this, as acknowledged by Park Joon-young, the new head of the organization: This year, we will try to improve our ticket sales, advertising, and other areas of our operations. I know there have been many controversies regarding the construction and ticket prices. We will do our best to ensure that motorsports can develop as an important part of our entertainment tourism.

With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr