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New ticketing system at Granada’s Alhambra sees bumper sales hours after launch

The Alhambra, a historical attraction in Granada, Spain, has reported shifting almost 12,600 tickets in the first eight hours after the launch of its new ticketing system.

The new system, which kicked off on Sunday, makes around 70 per cent of passes available to the public via the official website, the contact centre or in person at the kiosk.

Previously, only 29 per cent of tickets were made available to the public, while 49 per cent of tickets go to travel agencies. The attraction only allows a certain number of visitors each day.

The Grenadino monument within the complex attracts 2.7 million visitors each year, making it Spain’s most visited attraction.

Since the launch, the 13th century palace has sold an average of 1,200 tickets per hour. The new system will work in conjunction with the old system until May 1.

It also notes that Alhambra tickets will now be available for purchase three months ahead of a visit, as well as up to two hours before the allocated time for the entrance to the Nasrid Palaces.

The attraction allows up to 10 tickets to be purchased at one time, with all tickets now to include guests’ names, in a move designed to reduce fraudulent entry.

The normal entrance fee of a day-ticket is €14 with an additional 85¢ commission per ticket for reserving online.

The old ticketing system saw several tickets go unused as agencies reserved the tickets three months before possible use and did not have to confirm or pay for them until three days prior and therefore could end up going to waste.

In addition, travel agencies often sold the tickets at an inflated price to third parties, who would then sell them on for even more, resulting in times where thousands of tickets would go unused as people wouldn’t pay the increased prices.

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