Close to 150,000 spectators in the stands of the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Cheste and the Ágora building in the City of Arts and Sciences witnessed the XI Valencian GENERALI Grand Prix and the first edition of the Valencia Open 500 tennis tournament. The positive reaction to these two top-level competitions secures the Region´s reputation as an exceptional venue for major sporting events, setting the standard once again both nationally and internationally.

The Valencian Grand Prix, held in Cheste for the first time in 1999, was the first step to shaping a Region of Valencia that today bases much of its tourist policy on the organisation of major events, attracting national and international travellers alike.

The famous motorcycling championship and the America’s Cup, the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 that departed from Alicante Port, the Castelló Masters Costa Azahar golf tournament, the Telefónica European Formula 1 Grand Prix, and the Valencia Open 500 have created 275,000 jobs and attracted 58 million visitors, figures that make these high level competitions major sources of economic growth and employment in the Region of Valencia.

In fact, the last edition of the Motorcycling Grand Prix alone brought 94,177 fans to watch the racing from the stands, and over 200,000 visitors to the track, providing a direct economic impact of over 44 million euros. The balance sheet for previous editions takes the total figure up to 426.5 million euros, which is seven times the investment made. During this period, 3,960 jobs have also been created.

via Travelturisme. Region of Valencia tourism news .