Yorkshire Worlds generated over €28 million says UCI-commissioned report
The UCI has announced the results of an Ernst and Young report commissioned by the governing body to look into the impact of world championship events, noting that last year’s UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire generated roughly €28.2 million in “additional economic activity” for the region.
The study took a closer look at four events: road Worlds in Yorkshire, cyclocross Worlds in Bogense, BMX Worlds in Heusden-Zolder, and the Val di Sole round of the MTB World Cup. Research focused on the visitors, media, and teams that attended events, event partners, and the future impact brought about by each event.
The report is the second done by Ernst and Young on UCI events in as many years.
According to the report, Yorkshire Worlds drew 200,000 unique spectators (of which an estimated 16,000 came from outside the United Kingdom) with the total visitor spend during Worlds totaling around €28.9 million. Visiting teams spent over €3 million of that amount.
The total estimated regional GDP bump of €28.2 million comes in somewhat lower than that reported by Ernst and Young’s study for 2018 Worlds in Innsbruck (which estimated just under €40 million in additional economic impact), although as the report emphasizes, Yorkshire did experience “record levels or rainfall” during Worlds.
According to the report, 86 percent of international visitors surveyed by the report said they were “willing to recommend the location for a holiday,” which may come as some consolation for local tourism officials as Welcome to Yorkshire, which organized the event, is facing funding issues.
The estimated economic impact of road Worlds was significantly higher than the estimates for the other three events studied in the Ernst and Young report. According to the report, 2019 ‘cross Worlds added a value of €3.6 million, BMX Worlds brought in €4.1 million, and the Val di Sole World Cup brought in €2.3 million.
The post Yorkshire Worlds generated over €28 million says UCI-commissioned report appeared first on CyclingTips.