County boost from 40,000 visitors for Women's Tour

Warwickshire's economy will receive a significant boost next month when the world's top women cyclists visit as part of the OVO energy Women’s Tour 2017.

For the second year running, Warwickshire County Council, in partnership with the University of Warwick, will host a stage of the Tour.

And Friday 9 June is in the diary for a visit to Warwickshire for thousands of people from around the country, judging by last year's figures.

In 2016, the first time the Tour came to Warwickshire, 75,000 spectators lined the route - and event organisers are hoping for an even greater turnout this time round.

Evaluation of the Tour's passage through the county last June revealed the event provided a healthy boost to the local economy. 

The Warwickshire stage was attended by an estimated 75,000 people, of whom approximately 40,000 (53%) came from outside the county. This provided a massive boost to the tourism and catering industries. One in seven of these visitors (14%) stayed overnight with the average length of stay totalling 3.3 days.

Other Warwickshire businesses shared in the success of the event thanks to the high spending by groups of visitors at just under £40 per group. This benefited a range of sectors, such as the food and drink industry (gross spending by visitors of just over £2million); local shops and those offering souvenirs (gross spending of just over £740,000); hotels and other accommodation (just under £540,000) and local transport (just over £150,000).

The cyclists travelled the length of the county with spectators gathering along the route from the start in Atherstone, through North Warwickshire before taking in the campus of the University of Warwick, Kenilworth, Warwick town centre and Shipston-on-Stour, before finishing in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Extensive media coverage of the race placed Warwickshire centre-stage of a potential global viewing audience of 80 million homes worldwide, as well as drawing the attention of the regional and national press. The return of The Women’s Tour in 2017 is another wonderful opportunity to showcase Warwickshire at its best.

For more information on business opportunities from the event, please contact Chris Egan, Women’s Tour Project Manager on 01926 412 813 or email chrisegan@warwickshire.gov.uk