Despite Coello, Tapia, Galan, and Chingotto featuring, the Valladolid padel tournament has empty stands, which provokes criticism of tourism promotion.

25 June 2025

This week, pictures of empty stands in the city’s famous Plaza Mayor have gone viral online, attracting attention to the Valladolid Premier Padel P2 competition for all the wrong reasons. Despite the low turnout, Valladolid’s official tourism account posted a promotional image commemorating the occasion, which sparked a barrage of social media derision and condemnation.

The caption for the image read, “Valladolid is always Valladolid,” and included a picture of a game being played in front of empty seats. The attempt to draw attention to the city’s hosting role backfired, as users questioned the rationale of promoting an event that seemed to be of little public interest. One user asked, “Are you showing off that no one came?” The comments varied from snarky appreciation to pure bewilderment.

Discussions concerning the tournament’s timing and the success of the city’s marketing campaigns have been triggered by the disparity between the venue’s splendor and the lack of spectators. The event’s early days have left a muted impact, despite organizers hoping that attendance will increase with the arrival of local star Arturo Coello and the imminence of the final rounds.

The event is still going on in spite of the criticism, and organizers are hopeful that the competition will get more intense as it goes on. However, for the time being, the focus is still on the discrepancy between the city’s marketing narrative and the actual situation on the ground.