A growing number of horse racing fans are choosing to spend Cheltenham week watching and betting on the action from Benidorm instead of being at Prestbury Park
Thousands of horse racing fans and punters have found another way to enjoy the Cheltenham Festival – 1,300 miles away.
Instead of joining the tens of thousands who will be descending on Prestbury Park for four days from March 11 to 14, many will head to Spain, and in increasing numbers.
Benidorm has long been a magnet for holidaying British and Irish tourists but Cheltenham Festival week has become one of the resort’s busiest weeks in the calendar.
The racing action is shown on giant television screens while the resort is able to provide one thing Cheltenham can’t – guaranteed sunshine.
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Richard Jobling, owner of the Benidorm And Beyond website, said: “Benidorm has 800-1,000 bars, largely British, so for years there has always been a sporting fraternity, as well as bookmakers on the strip.
“With Cheltenham getting a bit of a bad press over a few years for the cost of the entrance fee, the cost of hotels and travel, car parks and the price of food and drink, people have fallen into Benidorm as an alternative because it ticks a few boxes.
“You’ve got the sun, the holiday experience and you can go there with your mates. Before the bars would be rammed, but now the hotels have latched on and are using their outdoor space to put up gigantic jumbo screens.
“People get there at 11am to reserve a table so somewhere like the Marina Resort Hotel will have around 1,000 people around the poolside watching Cheltenham and that’s just one place.”
The popularity of Cheltenham week in Benidorm has pushed prices up but Jobling said: “If I post anything on my Facebook page about Cheltenham week, people are telling me they have booked for groups of 25, 40 or 50 and they fill a quarter of a plane. It’s not just two or three lads.
“People who are into racing and who go racing, maybe members of sports clubs and societies, have made Cheltenham week part of the Benidorm calendar.
“As each year has ticked by it’s become a bigger thing. St Patrick’s Day in Benidorm has always been a thing. The whole of Benidorm turns green but, tagged in with Cheltenham, it’s like the event is on steroids.
“After Benidorm Pride in September, it’s probably the biggest week of the year, probably busier than high season in the summer. It is quite phenomenal. It’s like Cheltenham without a racetrack.”
