Open to add £75m to economy
AN independent study commissioned by golf’s governing body, The R&A, forecasts that this year’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool will contribute £75m to the economy.
The research, carried out by sports economists at Sheffield Hallam University, predicts that £30m will be spent by around 200,000 spectators.
A further value of £45m was put on the “destination marketing benefit” gained through global television exposure of the week-long event at Hoylake in July.
Researchers at the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam based their forecast on spending patterns established in 10,000 interviews carried out at the Open Championship over a four-year period from 2010 to 2013.
It follows work the team has done on the economic impact of the Ryder Cup, Manchester football and the Ashes test match at Lords in the summer.
The R&A’s executive director of championships Johnnie Cole-Hamilton said: “The Open Championship is staged at Royal Liverpool for the twelfth time in 2014 providing the best players in the world with a true test of links golf and it’s good to know that the championship also brings an important financial boost to the local economy.”
Graham Burgess, chief executive of Wirral Council, said: “Wirral’s tourism industry gained a massive boost from hosting The Open Championship in 2006 and the sector now contributes over £310m to our economy, employs over 4,000 full time jobs and attracts seven million visitors each year.
“As we prepare to welcome the world’s best golfers once again in July along with thousands of visitors and the many millions more watching on TV, we are working hard to ensure we use the boost The Open gives the region’s profile to drive our economy, grow employment and ensure our businesses reap the benefits of hosting one of the largest sporting events in the world.”
