The 2018 Ryder Cup boosted economic activity in France by more than €235 million, according to a new report commissioned by Ryder Cup Europe and supported by the French Golf Federation (FGF).
More than 270,000 people attended last September’s contest at Le Golf National to see Europe defeat the United States 17½-10½ as France hosted the Ryder Cup for the first time. It was only the second time the biennial contest had been played in continental Europe after Valderrama, Spain, in 1997 and the economic benefits to the host country have been outlined in a report compiled by researchers from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre.
The report found that economic activity in France as a result of the country hosting the 2018 Ryder Cup amounted to €235.7 million. The figure takes into account spending by all spectators and event attendees, plus all the organisational spending, including by the FGF and French authorities on course and infrastructure upgrades, and the development of 100 municipal golf facilities inspired by the bid to host the event, as well as other indirect or induced spending.
It represents a significant increase on the £106 million of economic activity in Scotland as a result of Gleneagles hosting The 2014 Ryder Cup.
Guy Kinnings, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “The 2018 Ryder Cup was undoubtedly the biggest and most successful to be staged in Europe, with the considerable achievements of Thomas Bjørn’s team at Le Golf National matched by the wider commercial impact the event had outside the ropes.
The figures highlighted in this economic activity report demonstrate the major benefits hosting a Ryder Cup brings to a country through spectator and visitor spending, in addition to the golfing legacy, which in France included the creation of 100 short courses.The significant increase from the 2014 economic activity in Scotland also underlines the continued growth of the Ryder Cup’s global appeal as one of the world’s biggest sporting events.”
Pascal Grizot, France Ryder Cup 2018 Committee President, said: “From the beginning we always kept in mind that we wanted to show that our country, France, could benefit from hosting the Ryder Cup. The teamwork across the board helped deliver that and as a result the event at Le Golf National was one of the best golfing experiences ever. It has also dramatically improved the audience of golf in France and served the development of the game.
“A separate report from the French authorities will be released soon with comparable numbers, which confirms the very positive economic impact for the region of Paris and the city of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.”
Other key findings from the Ryder Cup Europe report revealed that spectators from more than 90 countries attended the matches in Paris, with almost half of those visiting coming from the UK (49%). In total, spectators generated 220,000 commercial bed nights in the Paris region, with 8% of visitors choosing to extend their stay beyond Ryder Cup week.
The global reach of the Ryder Cup was also shown by a significant increase in social media engagement, with more than 22 billion global impressions across the week, while linear broadcast viewing figures were also up compared to the 2014 contest at Gleneagles.
Researchers from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre compiled the study based on primary research involving more than 6,000 attendees and post-event consultations with stakeholders, including Ryder Cup Europe, the FFG and many key suppliers across Europe.