Rally of Portugal, the most profitable event in Portuguese sports

portuguese rallybegins Friday and runs until May 12th. It became the most profitable sporting event in the country.An investment of 4 million euros will generate a profit of 164 million euros and attract 1.2 million tourists.

Carlos Barbosa, president of the Portuguese Automobile Club, the organizing body of the WRC (World Rally Championship), said in an interview with EFE, “More than 200,000 fans have come from Spain.”

And Spain, like Portugal, is a country with “a huge passion for motors and rallying,” Barbosa said.

This test has a history of more than half a century and is the oldest in Europe in land mode. It’s also the closest option for Spaniards if they want to enjoy motorsport, as the legendary Rally of Catalunya hasn’t been held in Spain for many years., the only vehicle included in the WRC.Economic injection into Portugal’s interior

Thanks to this rally, Portugal’s interior regions, which have a weaker economy compared to larger cities such as Porto and Lisbon, will receive a “strong economic injection,” given that thousands of fans spend large sums of money in restaurants. ,” Barbosa argued. , accommodation, express fees and services of all kinds.

In addition to this, more employment is encouraged during the slow tourist season.

Vodafone, the main sponsor, is responsible for paying the sponsorship amounting to an investment of 4 million euros, together with the public bodies Portugal Tourism Center and Tourism of Portugal and the city council where the rally will be held.

Even the Portuguese Automobile Club invests €300,000 every year in the rally, which for Barboza is “part of Portugal’s DNA”.From chaos to a global example

Until 2007, the organization’s president recalled, the Rally of Portugal had fans everywhere and could project a certain image of chaos. However, he asserted that things have changed over the past 18 years and that the Rally of Portugal is an example to follow.

”We innovate and set an example in security“He explained.

In that sense, they created a safe area, monitored by the police and with a safety margin, allowing the public to enjoy watching idols with good visibility pass by “on the spot”.

”Before we got crazy, now we’re the standard“This will enable more than one million people to enjoy the rally in timed sections each year,” organizers said. TV in 156 countries

Live television coverage of the Rally of Portugal in its entirety will also play an important role in “representing the great image of the country”, which will bring in thousands of tourists throughout the year.

In this test, the rally could be broadcast live on TV in 156 countries, and “we can guarantee that visitors who come to watch the rally will come back an average of 1.5 times,” the official said.

Carlos Barbosa emphasized that this test is always a big attraction for the main drivers and that competitive spirit is also guaranteed.

By Sunday, 1,200 people from different teams, 3,000 operators involved in the various “teams” of the rally and more than 600 police officers will be joining Portugal once again as the automotive capital of the world in this 57th edition. I guarantee that it will change to.