THE Tourism Resources department of Mijas Council and ‘Carrera’ entertainment company recently signed a concession for Mijas Racecourse.
The council has paid 222,000 euros owing to personnel and part of the Social Security debt incurred.
The full Social Security debt amounts to 687,000 euros, of which the council has assumed 351,000 euros. The remaining amount will be settled within 90 days.
The mayor of Mijas, Antonio Sanchez, has announced that terms and conditions of tender will be published and tenders invited shortly.
The council will take on 25 workers and six will remain employees of the ‘Carrera’ company, in order to deal with the internal betting system.
Racecourses are not generally considered to be profitable enterprises and the fact that ‘Carrera’ has managed to run the Mijas Racecourse for five years, without resorting to council funding, is an achievement in itself. Other racecourses in Spain are either partially or fully financed by local governments and, in some cases, with the help of ‘Loterias y Apuestas del Estado’, (the State-run lottery and betting agency.)
‘Carrera’ has run the racecourse in times when horse-racing has not been enjoying great popularity in Spain and is even in danger of disappearing. The company has maintained the facilities in good condition and has invested in improvements without requiring extra funding.
The challenge is now to find a company with the ability to turn the business into a sporting and tourist attraction, diversifying what the racecourse can provide in order to make it an attractive venue for different types of public attractions. |
