The 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships are estimated to have had a direct economic impact on the Scottish Borders of over £6million.
Councillors were told of the estimated benefit at a meeting of Scottish Borders Council's Executive Committee this week.
Glentress Forest, one of Scotland’s most renowned mountain bike locations, was the official venue for the Mountain Bike Cross-country & Cross-country Marathon events at the Championships, which took place in Glasgow and across Scotland in August.
Located near Peebles, the vast forest is owned and managed by Forestry and Land Scotland.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, Executive Member for Community and Business Development, said: “Glentress was an outstanding venue for the World Championships, and I am delighted at the incredibly positive results that have been presented to us today.
READ MORE: Glasgow UCI World Championships hailed as "greatest ever held"
“The boost to the local economy from competitors, support staff, spectators, event staff and volunteers is substantial, and provided a huge return on our investment in the event. I’d like to thank all the partners involved in putting on the Championships in the Borders.
“These results emphasise the very positive impact that the Council’s investment into bringing national and international scale events to the area can have, and we remain committed to continuing to do this, whilst also supporting existing local events to grow and new events to take place.”
Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive Officer, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, said: “The outcomes of the local economic and social impacts on the Scottish Borders demonstrate the benefit of the geographical spread of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships across Scotland. The opportunity for a renowned regional mountain biking location such as Glentress Forest successfully hosting the Mountain Bike Cross-country events that were broadcast around the world, is something the local community can be immensely proud of.
“It was tremendous to see so many international and local visitors descend on the region in support of the World Championships, providing a significant boost for the economy and supporting the legacy ambitions of South of Scotland Cycling Strategy which will further embrace the power of the bike.”
David Hope Jones OBE, Chief Executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, said: “The UCI Cycling World Championships at Glentress were a tremendous success, with tens of thousands of spectators flocking to Peeblesshire from near and far to enjoy thrilling races between the world’s best cross-country mountain bikers. These economic impact statistics demonstrate the enormous value of such events to local tourism and hospitality businesses.
“As one of the flagship events in a real ‘year of cycling’ in the South of Scotland, along with the launch of the fantastic new Kirkpatrick Coast to Coast route, the Championships have introduced a whole new audience to the ’Home of the Bike’.
“The positive experiences visitors will have taken away with them following the event are arguably even more valuable to the South of Scotland than the financial benefits, since they will now spread the word far and wide and encourage even more people to discover this exceptional part of the world for themselves.”
Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “What a great event it was and the economic impact of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships on the Scottish Borders really does really highlight the power of the bike.
“Cycling offers significant economic opportunities for our region, and as well the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership believes it can positively impact many other aspects of our society.
“These include addressing fuel poverty, transport issues, community isolation, health and wellbeing, workforce and education inclusion and diversity and equality.
“After such a positive year for the South of Scotland, we now want to build on this success and continue to make progress, with the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership Strategy, and our ultimate aim of making the South a world-class cycling location.”
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