Harrogate's top ten costs & benefits from UCI cycling event

Was the UCI cycling event a hit for Harrogate last year? The Harrogate Advertiser presents its Top Ten UCI impact facts everyone needs to know - including the sum spent on litter picking!
Harrogate welcomed the world's greatest cyclists last September when it hosted the UCI Road World Cycling Championships... but did the event represent value for money?Harrogate welcomed the world's greatest cyclists last September when it hosted the UCI Road World Cycling Championships... but did the event represent value for money?
Harrogate welcomed the world's greatest cyclists last September when it hosted the UCI Road World Cycling Championships... but did the event represent value for money?

Controversy over the effects on the Stray... Controversy over disruption... Controversy on the effects on business...

Two new reports commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council into the impact of last year’s UCI Road World Championships were meant to put the whole subject to bed.

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But the contents of those reports are full of interesting details.

Hosting the international cycling event may have resulted in a £17.8 million-pound boost to the local economy of the Harrogate district, as well as being watched by 329 million globally on TV.

But it also cost Harrogate Borough Council a total of £606,000 as hosts.

As well as thousands of international visitors, thousands of local residents lined the streets of the route to cheer on the world’s greatest cyclists.

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But many shops and businesses are still complaining that not only did the expected crowds not materialise in the town centre during the nine days of the UCIs last September, fears over road closures also scared off most of their local customers.

The Harrogate Advertiser has studied both the UCI Road World Championships impact study by Ernst & Young and the report by Harrogate Borough Council expenditure and income for the 2019 UCI Road World Championships.

Among everything else, here are ten of the most interesting points:

Top Ten Facts on the UCI impact on Harrogate

1: Economic boost to Harrogate and district

Hosting the 2019 UCI Road World Championships resulted in a £17.8 million-pound boost to the local economy of the Harrogate district.

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The economic boost to the district equates to the annual employment of 600 people.

2: Who visited Harrogate for the UCI cycling?

Of 69,000 unique visitors, 66% were from outside the district, contributing to total event attendance in Harrogate of 299,000 over nine days.

18,000 people visited the district for the first time and 12,000 travelled from abroad, with a significant number of visitors indicating a strong desire to return and to recommend Harrogate to others.

The visitor numbers are consistent with the 2018 UCI championships held in Innsbruck.

3: How many people stayed in Harrogate for the UCIs?

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Overall 24,000 visitors stayed overnight in Harrogate, while 22,000 made day trips into Harrogate, either from their home or another base outside of Harrogate.

4: How much did the visitors spend in Harrogate for the UCIs?

Total visitor spending in Harrogate over the course of the championships is estimated at £22.5m.

Spending on hotel accommodation alone contributed £9m to the local economy, making this their largest item of spending.

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Visitors also spent £5.9m on food and drink and £5.1m on retail.

5: Did people enjoy the UCis?

Overall, 84% of all spectators were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience at the event.

The report states that 60% of local residents were “very satisfied”, compared to 59% of all respondents to the survey.

The event did attract some criticism, with 7% of Harrogate resident spectators indicating that they were highly dissatisfied with the event, often due to the disruption to the town.

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6: How much did Harrogate Borough Council spend on hosting UCI cycling championships?

Hosting the 2019 UCI Road World Championships cost Harrogate Borough Council a total of £606,000 according to figures published by the authority.

Total expenditure was £1,306,660, but the council secured income totalling £27,000, and a contribution of £673,000 from the Leeds City Region business rates pool, towards offsetting its costs.

7: Damage to the Stray caused during the UCIs

Attempting to reinstate and repair the damage to the Stray at West Park caused by heavy rainfall and the area acting as the official Fan Zone cost Harrogate Boorugh Council £51,572.47 to the end of January 2020.

8: Cost of the UCI Fan Zone in Harrogate

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The biggest single cost was £200,000 for Harrogate Borough Council’s contribution towards the Fan Zone on The Stray at West Park and spectator infrastructure for the Road World Championships.

9: Cost of litter picking because of UCIs

The council spent an additional £34,000 on extra staff hours worked providing street cleansing, litter picking, road sweeping and public toilet cleaning.

10. How much did the arts events focused on the UCIs cost?

Of the costs covered by the Leeds City Region Business Rates Pool, the biggest single sum spent during the cycling championships was as part of cultural events, specifically, £184,000.00 for Harrogate International Festivals’ carnival, sculpture and light installation which took place earlier in the summer.