North-west England economy forecast for £90million boost from 2012 OPEN

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R AND A
February 1, Lytham, England: An independent study commissioned by Open Championship organiser, The R and A, forecasts that this year’s event, to be staged at Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Club, will deliver a total economic benefit close to £90m to the regional economy of the North West.
The headline figure includes a forecast economic impact of £35.1 million and a destination marketing benefit of £52.6 million gained through global television exposure of the week-long event (July 15-22, 2012).
Researchers at the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University base their economic impact forecast on 185,000 spectator admissions and the established spending pattern of players, the media, event staff, sponsors and organisers measured over the last two championships.
Commenting on the research findings, R and A Executive Director - Championships, Johnnie Cole-Hamilton said:
“The Open Championship comes to England’s Golf Coast to provide the best players in the world with a true test of golf and it is good to know that we also bring an important financial boost to the host economy.”
Welcoming The Open Championship economic impact forecast, Fylde Borough Council Chief Executive, Allan Oldfield said:
“Having The Open Championship in town is clearly beneficial to local people and businesses in Fylde and we look forward to welcoming the many thousands of spectators destined to attend this years event”.
Commenting on the wider legacy of The Open Championship, Lancashire County Council Chief Executive, Phil Halsall said:
"The Open this year will be the Championship’s third visit to the North West in just seven years. In hard times the cash injection that comes with hosting the event can make a real difference to the economic outlook of the region”.
Companies in the North West are demonstrating their enthusiasm to do business at The Open accounting for 30 percent of official hospitality sales to date. Overall official hospitality sales are a third up on last year at this time with some packages already sold out. Official hospitality packages are available exclusively through TheOpen.com and companies should be aware that unofficial operators do not have on-course facilities.