Tour of Britain brings in £5.9m
This year’s Devon stage of the Tour of Britain had the largest turnout in the tour’s seven year history bringing almost £5.9 million of additional spending to the county along the course of the tour.
250,000 spectators are thought to have turned out to watch the race along the 85 mile route between Sidbury and Dartmoor.
Around 62,000 people are thought to have stayed in the county overnight bringing extra trade to the local tourism industry.
A TV audience of more than 2.8 million people in the UK tuned into the coverage of the Devon Stage on ITV4 and Eurosport. The race was also broadcast to 166 countries worldwide, with South America, the Middle East and North Africa all receiving coverage for the first time.
Olympian, Sir Bradley Wiggins, proved a massive draw for the crowds, alongside some of cycling’s biggest names including Mark Cavendish and Nairo Quintana.
A survey of more than 2,400 spectators also found that 100% said the event was either a very enjoyable or quite an enjoyable experience, and 74% said they were inspired to cycle more regularly.
The Tour was hosted by Devon County Council who helped co-ordinated the local services around the event.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “These are hugely impressive figures for Devon and The Tour of Britain has again shown its worth to our local economy.
“The spending generated by the event demonstrates why we have invested in The Tour in recent years, and Devon has again been highlighted to a global TV audience as an important cycling destination. We were fortunate with the weather but the crowds, the atmosphere and the route of the Stage, all added to a special day to mark the 10th anniversary Tour.
“Everyone who turned out really enjoyed the occasion and I’m pleased to see so many people have said that watching The Tour has inspired them to cycle more regularly.”
Devon has now featured in The Tour over the past seven years. In that time more than a million people have watched the race in Devon along the various Stage routes around the county, and it has brought in around £27 million to the local economy. Last year 220,000 spectators watched the stage from Barnstaple to Dartmouth.
Bill Hitchins, Chairman of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: “Dartmoor National Park Authority was delighted to host the first ever summit finish at Haytor. It was a real spectacle to see the world’s top cyclists tackling a gruelling hill climb up to Haytor, and it was great to see so many people coming along to watch the race. The benefit to the local economy is enormous and we hope that the global television and media coverage will help to boost tourism to the area for years to come.”
Councillor Jeremy Christophers, Teignbridge District Council Leader and district ward member for Haytor, said: “For many years we have recognised the value of the Tour coming to Teignbridge and this year’s figures really speak for themselves. It brings people into the area to support the riders, provides a great boost to the local economy and gives us all the feel-good factor.”
Councillor Iain Chubb, East Devon District Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment, said: “We embrace the Tour and do hope the organisers will continue to look at East Devon as a venue for one of the stages. It is a brilliant sporting event and we welcome the great benefit it brings both to the local economy and to raising the profile of cycling, as well as promoting Sidmouth and East Devon to an international audience.”
For more information on The Tour of Britain, visit: www.southwesttourofbritain.co.uk and www.tourofbritain.co.uk
