The Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has today revealed that the Friends Life Tour of Britain provided a boost of almost £1m to the local economy.
The latest analysis shows that £995,849 was spent by visitors to Worcestershire who arrived in their thousands on 10 September 2014.
Around 160,000 people attended Stage Four of the Tour from Worcester to Bristol with 75,000 people lining the roadside within Worcestershire to see world class riders and 20 teams, including reigning champion, Sir Bradley Wiggins, and Mark Cavendish.
Stage Four kicked off at The Hive in the heart of Worcester City and continued through the city centre to St. John’s. The start proper was at Bransford Bridge and from there the riders headed to Malvern, Upton-upon-Severn, Pershore and Evesham for the first Sprint Point. Then on to Broadway for the second Sprint Point and then onto Snowshill. The Worcestershire LEP worked alongside local authorities to bring the event to the County: Worcestershire County Council, Worcester City Council, Malvern Hills District Council and Wychavon District Council as well as Sanctuary Group, Heart of Worcestershire College, University of Worcester and Blue Earth Foods Limited.
The LEP hosted the Friends Life Tour of Britain with the aim of raising the profile of the county as a tourist destination, put Worcestershire on the map regionally and nationally and support the local economy. The organisers have revealed that it even exceeded their high expectations.
Peter Pawsey, Executive Chair of the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “We knew that this high profile sporting event would bring people to the County and I am pleased to announce that it exceeded even our expectations.
“For every pound invested, we saw ten times the return in the local economy and it was great to see the event so well supported with more than 75,000 watching the race within the County boundaries. Worcestershire is a beautiful place and great business location and I am sure that we will see many visitors return to the County.”
Adrian Hardman, Leader of Worcestershire County Council, added: “This really was a great day for Worcestershire which is a world class place to live, visit and do business. Hosting such an incredible sporting event put the spotlight firmly on the County and the impressive economic impact speaks for itself.”
For more information, visit the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership’s website www.wlep.co.uk/tour or join the conversation #WorldClassWorcs
