Gary Verity says Tour de Yorkshire going from strength to strength as TV viewing figures almost double

The 2016 Tour de Yorkshire boosted the region's economy by almost £60m, according to a study carried out by Leeds Beckett University. As well as attracting more than two million roadside spectators, the second edition of the race was also watched by 11.4 million global TV viewers – almost double the amount in 2015.

The economic impact study was based on information gathered from 1,000 people at the race and online. It showed that the majority of spectators were from Yorkshire (79 per cent) with 21 per cent from elsewhere in the UK and abroad.

Spending was up by 20 per cent compared to 2015. Accommodation spend was up 27.8 per cent and spending on non-accommodation items, such as food and drink, souvenirs and transport, was also up by 12.4 per cent.

Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said:

“This is tremendous news for Yorkshire and the statistics speak for themselves – the public support for the Tour de Yorkshire is overwhelming. Even in the face of some not so welcoming weather, these statistics show that the Tour de Yorkshire is rapidly going from strength to strength.

 “The great people of the county continued to support the race in their droves with over two million people lining the route, spending 20 per cent more than last year while TV viewing figures nearly doubled. This confirms that the people of Yorkshire have really taken the Tour de Yorkshire to their hearts and already we can’t wait for next year.”

A small number of start and finish locations for the 2017 event have already been confirmed with Fox Valley in Sheffield, Halifax, Harrogate and Selby announced as hosts.