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30-03-2004, 05:59 PM
The Bahraini economy is expected to take in nearly 28 million dinars (74 million dollars) in revenues from hosting the upcoming Grand Prix, the first Formula One race in the Middle East, according to the results of a study unveiled Saturday.
Hotels, car rental and travel agencies are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the racing event, which officially runs April 2-4, according to the study by the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research. The study expects about 40,000 people to attend the racing event and to spend each day on average about 85 dinars (226 dollars), which includes the entry ticket price.
A private economist called the study "balanced and plausible" but said that although investments in the racing event itself were all "first class" Bahrain faced a challenge in making use of its limited touristic infrastructure and resources to derive maximum benefits from the event.
"There is a problem right now with the capacity of hotels leading one to conclude that the one of the most important needs is to increase the number of hotel rooms," Ahmed al-Yosha told AFP. "Revenues will ultimately depend on what we offer visitors."
Bahrain, which has a population of 650,000, has only 15,000 hotel rooms and several thousand more rooms have been booked for race-goers in nearby Dubai and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Organisers said last week that they have already sold 30,000 tickets, representing about 75 percent of the total available.
The 150-million-dollar desert circuit at Sakhir, 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital, has a crowd capacity of some 40,000, according to Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammad Al-Khalifa, chairman of the board of the Bahrain race track and head of the country's sports authority. He said some 7,500 seats had been reserved for the Gulf state's university students.
Fawaz also said another 150 million dollars had been pumped into improving infrastructure around the track. Bahrain joins China as one of the two new venues in this season's 18-round series.
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Hotels, car rental and travel agencies are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the racing event, which officially runs April 2-4, according to the study by the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research. The study expects about 40,000 people to attend the racing event and to spend each day on average about 85 dinars (226 dollars), which includes the entry ticket price.
A private economist called the study "balanced and plausible" but said that although investments in the racing event itself were all "first class" Bahrain faced a challenge in making use of its limited touristic infrastructure and resources to derive maximum benefits from the event.
"There is a problem right now with the capacity of hotels leading one to conclude that the one of the most important needs is to increase the number of hotel rooms," Ahmed al-Yosha told AFP. "Revenues will ultimately depend on what we offer visitors."
Bahrain, which has a population of 650,000, has only 15,000 hotel rooms and several thousand more rooms have been booked for race-goers in nearby Dubai and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Organisers said last week that they have already sold 30,000 tickets, representing about 75 percent of the total available.
The 150-million-dollar desert circuit at Sakhir, 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the capital, has a crowd capacity of some 40,000, according to Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammad Al-Khalifa, chairman of the board of the Bahrain race track and head of the country's sports authority. He said some 7,500 seats had been reserved for the Gulf state's university students.
Fawaz also said another 150 million dollars had been pumped into improving infrastructure around the track. Bahrain joins China as one of the two new venues in this season's 18-round series.
منقول
شباب للترجمة
خليل:glasses2: