Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

This summer, Azerbaijan will be a host country for Formula 1, one of the world’s richest forms of motorsport. The race will take place on the streets of the country’s booming capital Baku for the first time.

Hosting a major sporting event traditionally gives many economic, social and cultural benefits, along with the fact that the city enjoys a legacy of improved sporting venues.

Azerbaijan has gained a great experience in holding international sporting events, as the country held the world and European championships in various sports and hosted the grandiose Baku 2015 European Games.

This year the country will expand the list of hosted grand events with the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe.

Over the past years, many emerging economies sought to use F1 as a mean of demonstrating their openness to investment and foreign visitors, and Azerbaijan follows this path.

Along with Monaco and Singapore, Baku will be the third street circuit on the calendar. The race will see cars run through Baku’s Old Town, a UNESCO World heritage site and the city’s modern boulevards that run along the Caspian Sea, underneath the city’s stunning skyline.

Baku City Circuit is the second longest F1 track on the calendar, with a length slightly over six kilometers as an anti-clockwise layout. Many describe this track as the most complex, entertaining and very curious, for both racers and spectators.

Tourist flow with income

While the crude prices fall in the world market, the development of non-oil sector, particularly tourism, comes to the fore.

The event is an absolutely perfect opportunity for Azerbaijan to become even more recognizable in the world, as the competition is broadcasting almost all over the world. The experience of other countries shows that the F1 race causes a lot of interest in the motor world, what entails the influx of many thousands of true racing fans. So, Formula 1 is the unique tool that can give a positive impetus to the tourism sector.

The F1 race with a turnover of more than $2 billion attracts from 450 to 600 viewers yearly, according to Forbes.

The audience coverage of Formula 1 only gives way to Summer Olympic Games and Football World Cup. Moreover, unlike these tournaments, which are held once in four years, the stages of “Formula 1” are held annually and don’t make fans wait long.

In addition, it is a very cost-effective competition, and in case of the competent organization the country can get a lot of profit, experts say. The experience of other Grand Prix shows that about 40 percent of tickets to the competition are purchased from abroad.

As for ensure the flow of tourists, recently the country’s president has signed an order aiming at simplification of visa procedures for the tourists, who can get visas at the structural subdivisions of the foreign ministry’s consular department in Azerbaijan’s international airports.

Popularity of racing in Azerbaijan

For Azerbaijan it’s a new sport and cannot be compared in popularity with football or wrestling. However, experts say that the race will also give a big boost to motorsports in the country.

Currently, Azerbaijan has only one young professional Formula 3 driver Gulhuseyn Abdullayev, who continues his success in an international arena.

Nigar Arpadarai, Head of Marketing and Communications at Baku City Circuit emphasized that after the announcement of the holding the race in Baku, we realized there are several fan clubs, who are looking forward to this event.

“They are active in the promotion of the sport through online resources and social networks. We communicate closely with them and hold meetings,” she said.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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