A race to watch out for

EVENTS: The F1 night race in Singapore on September 27 and 28 has fans in a frenzy.

It is without any doubt one of the most anticipated sporting events of 2008. The first ever Formula One night race, which will be held in Singapore on September 27 and 28, already has motorsports fans in frenzy.

This is the first time a Formula One race will be held under lights. Also, it is a street-based circuit, the third in the Formula One calendar after Monte Carlo and Valencia, which adds to the excitement. Ace drivers burning rubber on sleek Singapore roads at night amidst skyscrapers and manicured gardens – it promises to be a once in a lifetime spectacle.

The race, according to Singapore Tourism Board Area Director (North & East India, Pakistan & Bangladesh) Kenneth Lim, is already a sold-out event. Lim says that at least 80,000 people are expected to come and see the race. Along with that there will be a host of other tourists who might not get to see the race but yet can participate in the festivities.

The Singapore Tourism Board has lined up a host of activities around the night race to promote the event. For instance, there will be Singapore Biennale 2008, a 10-week visual feast of contemporary art, and the Bulgari Watch Exhibition 2008.

“The night race is a first of its kind event and it being held on a street circuit adds to the spectacle even more,” says Lim.

The number of Indian tourists to Singapore has always been high and Lim does expect a large number of Indians to turn up for the race weekend. But travel operators in India feel that the response has been lukewarm.

Aparna Pendse, the founder of Varunair Travel Services, one of the official ticketing partners in India, said: “We thought that it being Singapore, there will be a lot of Indians travelling but that has not been the case.” One of the reasons, according to Pendse, is that the Grand Prix packages haven’t been marketed well.

Pendse says she was told to sell tickets only with packages, which are priced quiet high. The package for the race can cost anywhere between Rs 68,000 and Rs 75,000. A high-end package can cost around Rs 1.25 lakh. Pendse says that for less than this money, her agency sold packages for the Monte Carlo and Barcelona races.

Another Bangalore-based travel agency which specialises in sports travel packages says that the response has been “good but not great”.

In 2007, Singapore had 1.3 million visitors, out of which 750,000 were from India alone. There has been a 14 per cent rise in the number of tourists in the last one year. The race will indeed be a spectacle and will attract a lot of tourists but the number of Indians would appear to be much lower than expected.