Valence is struggling to sell its tickets
What a contrast between Silverstone and Valencia: while the English event has increased its total capacity to meet demand, the Spanish port city has done the opposite but still can't fill the remaining stands.
This represents an impressive drop in attendance for this event which aimed to be the equivalent of Monaco. The bar had been set high with 112,000 seats planned. During the inaugural edition, the organization managed to fill all seats. But since then, the situation has significantly deteriorated as the number of seats had already been reduced to 65,000 for the 2011 edition.
This year, the decision was made to further reduce the number of tickets available to only 45,000. Nevertheless, this still seems too many compared to the demand. Indeed, less than two weeks before the event, only 38,000 spectators have acquired their valuable tickets, resulting in a modest occupancy rate of 85%. Meanwhile, Silverstone has already reached 96% of an increased capacity more than a month before the event…
The main reason for this long descent into hell is, of course, the economic crisis affecting the country and making headlines around the world. The unemployment rate, nearing 25%, has a significant impact on the personal finances of Fernando Alonso’s fans. This is evidenced by the fact that nearly two-thirds of the spectators who have already purchased their tickets are from abroad, despite the successes achieved by the Spanish driver since the beginning of the season. This is how Gonzalo Gobert, the director of the event, stated to the newspaper Marca: « It’s essential for ticket sales. It’s a phenomenon that really helps us a lot in this regard. It helps us a lot but 65% of ticket sales are made outside the country. »
If the event undeniably brings a tourist benefit to the city and the entire region, the organizers are unable to make ends meet in these times of severe austerity, which forces the city to reduce overall expenses. This therefore adds weight to the plan supported by Bernie Ecclestone of alternating between Barcelona and Valencia to host the Spanish Grand Prix (as Hockenheim and Nürburgring do in Germany): “It doesn’t make sense to have two races in Spain. As with everything, we must streamline.”
With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr
