The Real Federación Española de Natación (RFEN released a study conducted by researchers at the University of Vigo earlier this week, detailing the impact of the 2017 Spanish Spring Open.
The study was commissioned by the Municipal Sports Service of the Council of Pontevedra to understand both the economic and media-related effects of the 4-day April 2017 meet.
Headlined by Olympic champion Mireia Belmonte, television coverage of the meet on the Spanish channel RTVE reached an estimated 338,540 people, and cost the city €1.2 million (about $1.45 million) to advertise.
Of the viewers surveyed, 6 out of 10 said that they would be willing to pay for such an event in the future. The study concluded that organizers paid an appropriate amount to advertise, given that the cost of advertising to one person is €3.6 ($4.25).
9,000 people attended the event, held at the Rias do Sur sports complex in Pontevedra, and brought an estimated €234,348.62 ($276,636.83) to the city’s economy. The primary beneficiaries were restaurants and hotels, with shops and recreational facilities also recieving a small boost.
7.7% of attendees were locals from Pontevedra, 30.7% were from the greater region of Galicia, 56.4% were from elsewhere in Spain, and 5.3% hailed from Portugal.
According to those surveyed, 98% of out-of-town attendees said they would return to Pontevedra again with their families in the future, and 96% said they were happy with the organization of the event as a whole.
Yeah too bad they dont care about their swimmers that much