Attendances Up In 2010

Good to read the figures released by The Racecourse Association showing that attendances at racecourses increased in 2010 by a reported 3.4% on 2009 with over 5,769,000 reported visitors - the second consecutive year attendances have increased. The number would surely have topped the six million mark if it wasn’t for the huge number of meetings lost to the worst winter since records began.
I’ve said it before and I will no doubt say it again; you can have all the gimmicks and offers you like but supply a quality product and quality service and the punters will come through the door. It is no coincidence that one of the best tracks in the country for facilities and service, namely York, increased their average gate by a reported 11% with Bath posting an impressive increase of over 16%.
Stephen Atkin, Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association commented, ‘I am delighted to see these figures, it is a vindication of the hard work being done behind the scenes on Britain’s racecourses to attract customers, especially those new to the sport. It is a shame that the bad weather in December stopped us from beating the previous high of 2004, but it lays down the marker for the Racecourses in 2011 to maintain these high standards’.