The Ambassador of Spain to Kazakhstan Jorge Urbiola said that holding a prestigious motorcycle racing event in Kazakhstan can help increase the inflow of tourists, QazMonitor reports.
Minister of Culture and Sports Askhat Oralov met with Spanish Ambassador to discuss the advantages of hosting the Moto GP World Championship in Almaty this July.
Moto GP, known as Grand Prix motorcycle racing, is the top-division road racing event and the oldest motorsport championship. Kazakhstan will be the first country in Central Asia to host the race.
"These kinds of programs should be part of attracting tourists and a bridge in friendly relations between the countries. And without any burden on the state budget. We actively cooperate with the Embassy of Spain,” said Minister Askhat Oralov.
Spanish Ambassador said the tournament brings together the world's strongest riders, as well as advanced manufacturers of motorcycle technology: Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, Suzuki, KTM, and Yamaha.
He described MotoGP’s importance to being on equal footing with Formula 1 and the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.
“It is watched by more than 250,000 spectators around the world and visited by about 40,000 tourists. According to studies, on average, more than 5 million tourists visit the race site within 3-5 years after the event," Urbiola said.
“Joint sporting events have a positive impact not only on relations between countries but also on the country's tourist image.”
The representative of the Sokol Race Track in Almaty Vladislav Stepnov said that the venue is capable of hosting the large number of guests that are expected for the event.
"The Sokol Race Track autodrome can comfortably accommodate about 105 thousand people. We would be honored to offer the track for such a large-scale event as the Moto GP," Stepnov said.
"At the moment, both parties - we and our Spanish partners - are ready to host such a large-scale event."
