THE Tour de France Grand Depart brought an extra £12 million to the district - and there is the potential for an extra £3m from repeat visitors, according to a special report commissioned by Bradford Council.

Local people also spent an estimated £4m when during the two day event last July.

Organisers Welcome to Yorkshire looked at the economic and social impact of the event which, attracted 380,000 spectators to the Bradford area.

It is estimated around 150,000 spectators travelled to the district from other areas, with one per cent travelling from overseas.

The report found that £2.7 million was spent on accommodation and a further £8.8 million spent by visitors.

The Yorkshire Festival, which attracted visitors to view and participate in arts and cultural events in the 100 day build-up to the Grand Depart, brought around £300,000 to the district.

Organisers spent the remaining £200,000.

A survey found 66 per cent of visitors said they would likely visit Yorkshire again for a short break and 73 per cent said they would be more likely to recommend Yorkshire as a destination. It also showed 68 per cent of visitors in Bradford said their image of Yorkshire had been enhanced.

In Bradford, 42 per cent of people said they were now more likely to cycle.

Bradford Council leader David Green said: "This report is fantastic news and shows that the Tour de France brought clear benefits to the district not only in terms of money generated on the day, but also the potential for repeat visitors and a lasting legacy of people being more likely to take up cycling."

Councillor Andrew Thornton, the Council's executive member for sports and leisure, said: "Interest in cycling has never been so high and more and more people are taking it up as a hobby. So the news that in our district 42 per cent of spectators said that they were inspired to cycle more as a result of the Tour coming to the district is no surprise.” He said the district had seen nearly a tenfold return in money invested by the Council, much of which included capital improvements to roads.

Final costs came in at £1.3m - including £200,000 of planned highways works.

Cllr Thornton added: "The funding of Bradford district’s contribution to the Tour de France Grand Depart is consistent with the original agreement to host the event in the region, along with all the other councils and Welcome to Yorkshire.

"The estimated value of the additional Government funding for the Yorkshire Tour de France Grand Depart, specifically for Bradford District, is £221,000," he said.

Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, the executive member for employment skills and culture, added: "I'm pleased to see the huge economic impact which the Grand Depart generated for businesses in the district. The positive effects of the event are still being felt today."

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