Cycling attracts tourism: Belgians and Dutch fill Benidorm
Benidorm. Third week of January. The municipality is preparing for the cyclocross world cup, where cyclists from different countries will participate in one of the most important events in this field. A match that is not only athletic, but also about everythingn tourism event that already fills the city and reaches its peak this weekend. Cycling attracts tourism, especially in this case Belgian and Dutch fans, many of whom already spend a few days on holiday in the city.
The UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2023 will only be held on Sunday, but for a few days already Benidorm has seen a flood of visitors come to enjoy this sporting event. The athletes participating in it are already staying in hotels and walking on the streets or sitting on the terraces drink coffee or eat lunch and dinner; but they are also accompanied by relatives and fans who have decided to take a few days off to travel to the tourist capital and extend their stay to finish with the world’s biggest event on Sunday.
The bike test is leaving “good job” for this weekend, Hosbec Hotel Management Association General Secretary Nuria Montes explained to this newspaper. The company’s forecasts for the second half of January speak of a 59.8% reserve, which is expected to exceed this every two weeks. “The second half of January would be one of the worst of the year. noted Montes, but it is not due Ciclo Cross test “success” related to another important meeting at the end of the month: Benidorm Festival. The hotels that keep their facilities open at this time of the year have not only come for teams of participants, family or friends, but also “a large number of fans” who have wanted to watch the competition “in situ”.
Such events help reduce seasonality, as the tourism sector has already explained more than once. And they do a low season, which is usually extended from the end of Christmas until the end of February or March to have an oxygen cylinder to continue the accommodation or hotel industry during these dates. Because although Benidorm continues to be the leader in the occupancy of the Valencian community, as Hosbec advanced a few days ago according to his data, the first month of the year is always the month that receives the least number of tourists.
For this reason, such events help to make the offer more seasonal and ensure a greater influx of tourists who perhaps they would not have chosen fate without this incentive and they will probably take this into account when booking their holiday later.
But it’s not just hotels that praise it in the city organize events to help kick off the off-season. This is also done by the hotel industry and other sectors related to tourism, such as trade or transport. According to the Benidorm (Abreca) Bars, Restaurants, Cafes and Nightlife Association, the forecast for this weekend is “very good” and compared to other January months when no important meetings took place like this sport or Benidorm Fest.
“For days we have seen the participating athletes being in the city and going to the competition venues,” said businessman and Abreca member Álex Fratini. Among them are mainly Belgian tourists, but also Dutch people, all big fans of this sport. But this type of market also “spends a lot more” than other types of visitors that fill the city on these dates. According to the data provided by the unit, “the average ticket is on average 30% more than usual”depending on the type of institution.
Such tourists “They try to eat well, especially Spanish food” among which stand out “paella, good rice or meat” and “they look for the best places to enjoy it,” Fratini said. So in Benidorm they also “find all kinds of offers”, although they usually go to the most touristic areas, such as the center or Paseo de Levante, along the beach; or they also stay in the hotels where they stay.
In fact, according to sources consulted, Belgium fans It is one true to the sport where the TV audience for these tests can reach 80%. A discipline, the sport of cycling, which competes closely with football. “Many soccer fans follow their teams to other countriesso do these followers,” they said.
So much so that specialist venues in Benidorm have noticed a large influx. In fact, according to the same sources, a Belgian hotel business in the city had reserved these fans and sports teams for lunch and dinner all week. The good connection between these countries with Alicante-Elche airport and Benidorm’s appeal means that many go not just for a weekend in the tourist capital, but also extend their stay for a whole week.
An experiment that would return to Spain years later
The UCI Cyclocross World Cup – Benidorm Costa Blanca 2023 will be held next Sunday, January 22, on the circuits built in the Foietes and El Moralet parks in Benidorm. For this purpose, passage in these areas is already restricted and access is closed. But not only is there action on Sunday, Saturday is also celebrated basic and master category national test. So around 15,000 people are expected for the main event on Sunday.
This world test was held only in Basque country In Spanish Geography. The last one took place in 2011 in the city of Biscay Igor. Now Benidorm is taking over with the aim of showing off to the world.
These days, both Benidorm City Council and Alicante Provincial Council have emphasized the importance of such an event to “promote the destination and keep the Costa Blanca as a benchmark for the organization and development of high-level events”. So they insisted the importance of this championship for promotion is In the Dutch and Belgian markets, as well as in the UK.
All in all, the Costa Blanca is already a “haven” for cycling and related tourism, contributing to the seasonality of tourism. So the requirement concerns the type of hotel plant, orography and additional supply, as well as infrastructure such as the airport. These types of visitors help keep accommodation filled during the low season months (November to February). For example, 12 of the world’s most important cycling teams have chosen locations on the Costa Blanca for their sports stages.
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