Geoff
06-05-2004, 10:07
Sheffield’s hotels, restaurants and venues are celebrating a bumper month thanks to a hat trick of major sporting events hosted by the city. The Embassy World Championship, reality television show The Games and the British Open Show Jumping Championships ensured hotels were filled to capacity for almost three weeks solid.
A survey on the economic impact of the Embassy World Championship on the city was conducted by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre. It found that the Championship alone was worth an estimated £2.26m to the Sheffield’s economy each year.
The bulk of this additional expenditure was from spectators, who contributed 67% of the total. The largest single area of expenditure was on accommodation with the event generating nearly 18,000 commercial bed-nights in the city. It also found that spectators spent a further £1.5m in the city during the two weeks of the tournament in shops, bars and leisure facilities.
The start of the Embassy World Championship coincided with the four-day final of the British Open Show Jumping Championships at the Hallam FM Arena, which attracted an estimated 25,000 spectators over the four days. It also overlapped with the final of Channel 4’s mini-Olympics The Games at Don Valley Stadium, which was attended by twice as many fans as last year.
Terrestrial television coverage for both The Games and the snooker are credited with promoting a positive image of Sheffield across the world. Channel 4 reported a 15% ratings rise for The Games and the Embassy World Championship retains the second highest viewing figures for any sporting tournament after the World Cup. Last year’s tournament had 106 hours of TV coverage on the BBC, with viewing figures of 129,325,800. The final captured 28% of the total television viewing figures.
Inga Uhrenbacher, Director of Sheffield Tourism said, "Major sporting events are an important element of Sheffield’s tourism strategy. Events such as the Embassy World Championship not only bring thousands of visitors to Sheffield but also support the on-going regeneration of the city through the improvement of facilities, the creation of jobs and the additional income to businesses. This provides a significant boost to the city’s economy that has lasting benefits. The snooker generates an estimated 18,000 room bookings for the city’s hotels over the course of the tournament, not to mention the spend on restaurants and bars, in shops and leisure facilities. The television coverage of the championship and scenes of Sheffield projects a very positive and confident image of the city to viewers across the globe.”
Cllr Jan Wilson, Leader Sheffield City Council said, “Our world-class sporting facilities are a wonderful asset for the people of Sheffield to enjoy, they also have the added bonus of attracting major sporting events such as the World Snooker to the city. This of course has significant benefits both in terms of boosting our economy and raising our profile.”
A survey on the economic impact of the Embassy World Championship on the city was conducted by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre. It found that the Championship alone was worth an estimated £2.26m to the Sheffield’s economy each year.
The bulk of this additional expenditure was from spectators, who contributed 67% of the total. The largest single area of expenditure was on accommodation with the event generating nearly 18,000 commercial bed-nights in the city. It also found that spectators spent a further £1.5m in the city during the two weeks of the tournament in shops, bars and leisure facilities.
The start of the Embassy World Championship coincided with the four-day final of the British Open Show Jumping Championships at the Hallam FM Arena, which attracted an estimated 25,000 spectators over the four days. It also overlapped with the final of Channel 4’s mini-Olympics The Games at Don Valley Stadium, which was attended by twice as many fans as last year.
Terrestrial television coverage for both The Games and the snooker are credited with promoting a positive image of Sheffield across the world. Channel 4 reported a 15% ratings rise for The Games and the Embassy World Championship retains the second highest viewing figures for any sporting tournament after the World Cup. Last year’s tournament had 106 hours of TV coverage on the BBC, with viewing figures of 129,325,800. The final captured 28% of the total television viewing figures.
Inga Uhrenbacher, Director of Sheffield Tourism said, "Major sporting events are an important element of Sheffield’s tourism strategy. Events such as the Embassy World Championship not only bring thousands of visitors to Sheffield but also support the on-going regeneration of the city through the improvement of facilities, the creation of jobs and the additional income to businesses. This provides a significant boost to the city’s economy that has lasting benefits. The snooker generates an estimated 18,000 room bookings for the city’s hotels over the course of the tournament, not to mention the spend on restaurants and bars, in shops and leisure facilities. The television coverage of the championship and scenes of Sheffield projects a very positive and confident image of the city to viewers across the globe.”
Cllr Jan Wilson, Leader Sheffield City Council said, “Our world-class sporting facilities are a wonderful asset for the people of Sheffield to enjoy, they also have the added bonus of attracting major sporting events such as the World Snooker to the city. This of course has significant benefits both in terms of boosting our economy and raising our profile.”