Tour Of Britain Generates £5million For Devon and Somerset

Devon and Somerset benefited to the tune of an additional £5million over the two days that the Tour of Britain was in the region, according to an independent survey carried out by economic consultation company Ekosgen.
 
Devon County Council and Somerset County Council co-hosted the two South West stages and despite poor weather, spectator numbers were on a par with last year with an estimated 225,000 people lining the routes from Minehead to Teignmouth and Tavistock to Glastonbury over the two days.
 
More than a million viewers watched the ITV4 highlights programme over the two days of the South West stages. And for the first time in the history of the race, it was also shown daily in Australia, New Zealand, Italy and South Africa - giving invaluable exposure to Devon and Somerset’s towns, coast and countryside.
 
It tops off another successful year of cycling in Devon following the return of the hugely popular Halfords Tour Series in Exeter in June. The city centre circuit race attracted 18,000 people who packed High Street, Queen Street and New North Road. This was the largest crowd at any of the venues over the ten rounds of the series, and generated around £320,000 for the local economy.
 
Councillor William Mumford, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Strategic Planning, said: “The Tour of Britain and Tour Series has again proven to be a massive draw which is great news for our local economy. Both events attracted significant numbers of visitors which will have benefited local businesses. The international coverage of The Tour of Britain is a massive boon in promoting our county as a place to visit. TV audiences couldn’t fail to be impressed by the amazing shots of Dartmoor, our stunning coastline and the Jurassic Coast World Heritage site, as well as our beautiful market towns.”