The president of Turismo do Algarve today estimated the economic impact of the Portuguese MotoGP Grand Prix, the second stage of the speed motorcycle World Championship, at around 80 million euros.
According to André Gomes, the economic estimate for this year “is identical to last year, which had a global impact of more than 79 million euros”, between direct and indirect revenues.
The MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal, the second round of the World Championship, takes place this weekend between Friday and Sunday at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve (AIA), in Portimão, where around 180,000 spectators are expected over the four days, according to the organisers of the event.
For the president of the Algarve Tourism Region (RTA), the event “is extremely important for boosting the regional economy and for the international projection of the Algarve destination”.
According to André Gomes, in March 2023, the month in which the race took place, “it was the best March ever in terms of hotel occupancy”, with a record of 11% more than in 2019 and 14% more than 2022.
“It is a competition that takes place during the low season, contributing to the dynamics of the business and hotel sector which, at the moment, is almost at full capacity”, he pointed out.
According to André Gomes, the combination of MotoGP and Easter dates “ends up contributing to a longer stay” of tourists during this period, “with many people traveling to the Algarve earlier in order to watch the race”.
“In addition to tourists, events of this size attract thousands of people, including fans, members of the participating teams and the organization”, he concluded.
For his part, the director of the AIA, Paulo Pinheiro, told Lusa that around 180 thousand spectators are expected during the four days of the event, 50 thousand more than in the three days last year.
“This year we start on Thursday with the 'pit walk' and we have the debut of the MotoE World Championship, a competition exclusively for electric motorcycles”, he explained.
According to Paulo Pinheiro, the Portuguese Grand Prix “will be more complete and comprehensive, with several attractions, such as the raffle for a motorcycle and helmets at the end of the race, invasion of the track so that the public can share the race and be closer of pilots.”
“This year there are a number of initiatives, such as the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the city of Portimão, the 75th anniversary of MotoGP and the 15th anniversary of the race track”, he noted.
The Portuguese MotoGP Grand Prix also has the participation of the Portuguese Navy and Air Force, with exhibitions from those branches of the Armed Forces outside the Algarve circuit, where you can see an amphibious vehicle and an Alpha-Jet subsonic fighter-bomber aircraft.
Source https://www.lusa.pt/
