2011 event boosts Scottish economy

Rioch Women’s Brtish Open delivers over £4.7million to Scotland

Resounding success: The event generated great exposure for Scotland and will return in 2013

The 2011 Ricoh Women’s British Open delivered an economic impact of over £4.7m to Scotland, according to figures announced today (15 Feb).

The overall figure for the Championship, which took place at Carnoustie in July 2011, includes a direct impact of £3.97m to the Angus economy.

Taiwan’s Yani Tseng successfully defended her title at Carnoustie, in what is currently the only women’s championship to be classed as a major outside of North America, by both the Ladies’ European Tour and the LPGA. The event previously took place at St Andrews in 2007, and will return to the Fife course in 2013.

The study found that 30.5% of spectators came from outside of Scotland with 3.5% coming from overseas. Visitors from Angus accounted for 27.8% with the remaining 41.7% visiting from elsewhere in Scotland. Spectators were clearly impressed with the event, as 71% of those interviewed said they intend to buy tickets for the 2013 Championship.

The Championship also generated substantial exposure for Carnoustie and Scotland through worldwide TV coverage and media interest. The event was broadcast globally for 1,485 hours, including 729 hours of live coverage by 57 individual broadcasters.

The research was commissioned by EventScotland, event organisers the Ladies’ Golf Union and IMG, Angus Council and Scottish Enterprise; and was conducted by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University. The Carnoustie championship was the first in a ten-year deal brokered by EventScotland to have the event in Scotland, with the report highlighting the economic success for both Angus and Scotland.

Sport Minister Shona Robison said: “These findings are a very clear demonstration of the positive impact hosting such a major sporting event can have on Scotland. We know golf tourism contributes £220 million every year to the Scottish economy and supports over 4,000 jobs. With an unrivalled golfing heritage Scotland is perfectly placed to host similar events in the future, and we are particularly excited about the economic opportunities presented by major future events such as the 2014 Ryder Cup.”

Paul Bush OBE, chief operating officer for EventScotland said: “We can see from the economic impact report for the 2011 tournament that a significant financial return was delivered for Angus and Scotland as a whole.”

The Ricoh Women’s British Open is supported as part of EventScotland’s ongoing commitment to women’s golf in the lead up to the 2014 Ryder Cup, which also includes the Aberdeen Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield from 3 to 5 May 2012.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered