SHAH ALAM, Aug 2 — Tourism Selangor plans to offer a tourism package based on the concept of "discount with F1 tickets" in conjunction with the Bahrain Formula One (F1) Grand Prix (GP) at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) this October to boost the tourism sector and the local economy.
Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Chua Yee Ling said the race, scheduled to take place from October 2 to 4, is expected to attract F1 fans from all over the world, as well as the teams and sponsors involved.
Chua said the Singapore F1 race will take place a week later, from October 9 to 11, presented an opportunity for the state to encourage tourists to extend their stay in Selangor.
"We will offer tourism packages with the theme of 'arriving early in Malaysia before the race' or 'staying in Malaysia after the race while waiting for the next race' to attract tourists to spend in the retail, food and beverage, transportation and tourism destination sectors," she said in an interview with Media Selangor here, recently.
Chua said that preparations for the F1 Bahrain Grand Prix are still in the early stages and the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS) has just held a coordination meeting with relevant government agencies to discuss the details of the organisation.
As the race is still under Bahrain’s purview, therefore, several details have not yet been finalised, including ticket sales and sponsor arrangements.
"Therefore, we need to wait for further information, including whether the sponsor exhibition space will be open.
"If there is an opportunity, we will gather local traders to jointly promote Selangor tourism to spectators and tourists," she added.
Hotels around SIC are almost fully booked
Elaborating further, Chua said Tourism Selangor is in talks with local traders to realise the "discount with F1 tickets" package, which is expected to benefit tourists and the business sector.
"At this stage, we have made 'discount with F1 tickets' the core of the promotional campaign.
“We will continue to discuss with traders on the details of the collaboration and so far the majority of traders have responded positively.
"Through this promotional package, not only can tourists enjoy various services at lower prices, but traders from various sectors can also benefit from this F1 championship," she said.
In a related development, Chua said hotels within a 15-kilometre radius of the SIC, including hotels near the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), were fully booked for the duration of the championship and it is believed that most of them were booked by teams and sponsors.
She said hotels outside the radius, including around IOI City Mall, were also almost full.
"Even though tickets have not yet been sold, hotel bookings in the vicinity have already shown encouraging results.
"F1 fans and traders have shown high confidence in this championship and we believe the economic impact it will generate will be huge," he said.
