Menorca is set to be an official World Padel Tour venue for the next 4 years as part of the world’s leading professional padel circuit. The agreement was reached by the Menorcan Tourism Development Foundation and the WPT organisation to host an annual open on the island for male and female categories between 2019 and 2022.
The launch event was presided over by the Tourism Promotion Councillor, Maite Salord and the WPT Venue Manager, Luis Torres, with Menorca’s Tourism Promotion Director, Isaac Olives, the President of the Federación de Pádel de Balears, Francisco Sanz, the Managing Director of Biosport Menorca, Antoni Capó and the Alayor player, Gemma Triay all present.
Thanks to this agreement, Menorca is set to become one of the 17 venues that will host part of the championship circuit, and enjoy the economic impact and international projection that such an event ultimately leads to for the island and for the Menorca brand.
According to Maite Salord, Minister of Tourism Promotion Councillor: “Hosting a circuit of these characteristics is very positive for Menorca because, firstly, it helps us to position ourselves internationally as a leading sports destination and, secondly, it improves economic activity outside of high season. We attack two biggest objectives pursued by the foundation with a single action.”
Menorca’s bid
The Estrella Damm Menorca Open, the name given to the Menorcan tournament, will be held from October 20-27, 2019 in Maó and Sant Lluís and will bring together some of the best international padel players, including Fernando Belasteguín and Pablo Lima, the twins María José and María Pilar Sánchez Alayeto and, of course, Gemma Triay and Lucía Sainz.
As a new element, the event will have two courts: the Pabellon Menorca, in Mahón, will stage centre court, and the Saint Lluís Sports Complex will function as the second centre court.
The total cost of organising each edition will be in the region of €900,000 (plus VAT) with the FFTM contributing €110,000 for the first year.
Impact and economic return
To assess the impact a tournament of this magnitude can have on the island, we must take several factors into account, including the impact for local businesses’ revenue and also the indirect or media impact, which can help Menorca’s positioning to grow in the sports segment internationally.
In the case of direct impact for local businesses, results from similar tests with 10,000 to 15,000 people in attendance see an economic return of somewhere between 1.3 and 1.9 million euros, which is approximately a 15-fold increase in the contributions made by the local authorities.
In the second case, both the impact of the 8-9 hours of live broadcast and the streaming of the entire tournament are taken into account, with an audience of more than 1.2 million spectators, 35% of whom live outside Spain.
Leader of the international paddle tennis circuit
The World Padel Tour is the most important professional padel circuit on the planet, both for the level of organisation and the players involved, which are considered the best at an international level.
The circuit began in 2013, following from the agreement between the group of organisers of professional padel competitions, the Association of Professional Padel Players and the Spanish Women’s Padel Association.
Between 15 and 20 WPT tournaments are held each year, along with a master’s final, where the best couples in ranking face each other.
