Open letter from the chief exec of Cheltenham regarding expected attendance.

[broadsword]

Kudos to Mr Eades for speaking out. I can understand Mr Holland’s position; I’m a member and a director of my local Chamber of Commerce, and you have to stand up for your members.

But that “rosy picture” comment was at best naive, and at worst unforgivably crass.

Many of the regulars who make an annual pilgrimage to Cheltenham stay in the same place for reasons of habit and tradition. They’re not stupid; they know a hotel room that costs £600 during the Festival will be available for £150 a week later.

The local hotels have leveraged that weight of history to the max and, once the older generation of diehards stop going for reasons of age or economics, their places at the track will be taken by people happy to stay, and drink, farther afield.

Taken in combination with the logistical issues of getting to and from Cheltenham, the stratospheric cost of tickets and refreshments, and the fact that fewer races are an intriguing betting prospect for the average punter, the short-sightedness of the local hospitality trade is one of the main problems the Festival now faces – and will continue to face.

[Author]

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