THE OPEN BRINGS £140 MILLION
BENEFIT TO SCOTLAND
EWS RELEASE FROM RandA
St Andrews:
The 2015 Open Championship at St Andrews delivered £140 million of
economic benefit to Scotland - the largest amount ever achieved by a
golf event in the United Kingdom or Ireland, according to an independent
economic impact assessment.
The study, commissioned by the
R and A, shows spending by visitors to Scotland for the tournament
generated £88 million – nearly double the £47.5 million in visitor
impact achieved in 2010 when the event was last held at the Old Course.
A further £52 million in
marketing benefit was realised, thanks to the exposure gained by St
Andrews and Scotland being broadcast to more than 500 million households
worldwide, according to separate research carried out by Kantar Media
Sport Intelligence.
The economic impact assessment,
carried out by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research
Centre, estimates that Fife alone benefited to the tune of around £52
million, and suggests there is a “St Andrew’s effect” that has seen
visitor numbers to the Old Course exceed all previous years.
Other key findings from the study include:
- Total spectator admissions over the course of the championship (including practice days and Championship days) were 237,024, with 93,000 unique spectators.
- There were 26,400 spectators from overseas - 28 per cent of the total, compared to 20 per cent in 2010.
- More than three quarters of overseas spectators were attending the Open for the first time in 2015.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:
“We all know that golf and its
origins are synonymous with Scotland but these excellent figures show
that the connection between the game and its spiritual home is as strong
and productive as ever.
“It is always a special homecoming for players and spectators alike
when The Open returns to the Old Course – they have the opportunity to
experience not only one of the finest courses in the world, but also
take in such a stunning setting on the Fife coast.“Hosting such events is a tremendous opportunity to showcase Scotland internationally as the perfect stage for events as well as generating spend for local businesses, restaurants and hotels, and the wider Scottish economy.”
Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said:
“The R&A brings The Open to
Scotland more often than to any other part of the United Kingdom and we
are delighted that a long association with VisitScotland produces
measurable and sustained benefits for the Scottish economy. For the
millions who watched on television and the many thousands who attended
in St Andrews, the 144TH Open was a wonderful celebration of
golf. The Open is one of the world’s greatest sporting events and we
look forward to staging another successful Championship in Scotland this
year when The Open returns to Royal Troon.”
Ends.
Labels: OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP
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