An East Riding of Yorkshire councillor has spoken of the economic benefits the Tour de Yorkshire will bring to Yorkshire and in particularly, Bridlington.
Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, was in attendance at the Bridlington Spa for the official announcement that the Tour de Yorkshire is to set off from Bridlington on 1 May.
He believes the revenue from the event could bring in around “£30-40 million” to the area through a number of sources.
Councillor Parnaby said: “I believe the conservative figure is one million visitors as well as locals. I believe that could be exceeded if you multiply that to the amount of spending in the area.
“You’re probably looking at £30-40million over the weekend, Having done that, people will see Bridlington on the television and will decide to come along in the future I believe. It is now about promoting the area now to make sure we can make it a success.”
Bridlington will see a surge of visitors for the event and councillor Parnaby sees the reasoning behind Bridlington playing hosts to the start of the cycle race.
He said: “When you look at your surroundings, there is a beautiful bay, good facilities and fantastic hotels and restaurants which will attract the day and weekend visitors.
“It is absolutely tremendous news and will put Bridlington on the map. We shall get international coverage of the event which is fantastic news.”
Following the route announcement, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council will now work with Welcome to Yorkshire to see how the area can make the most of the event.
Councillor Parnaby said: “We have to do something in Bridlington and I’m sure the villages will be doing their own thing but we need to make this a more of a festival and promotion.
“I think the public interaction will be massive. That weekend is, of course, the Elvis weekend so we can really make something of that. We will need to build on that and showcase Bridlington to the masses as best we can.”
The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire route takes in places predominantly in areas which missed out on the Tour de France as it passed through Yorkshire such as Bridlington.
Councillor Parnaby added: “To be fair to the organisers, they couldn’t go all over Yorkshire. Now we have this annual race and I’m keen for the East Riding to be involved in some shape or form every year.
“We can’t expect Bridlington to be a start or finish every year, but we need to make sure it comes along the coast at some stage as well as into the Wolds.