Fifteen million euros entering regional coffers, a rush for plane tickets from Paris to Turin, a rush to restaurants. In Piedmont, the Tour de France is much more than a race. The most prestigious cycling competition marks an economic impact of spendingsisters on the territory.
Departing from Italy for the first time. Today the third stage, the longest of the edition with its 230.5 kilometres: from Piacenza to Turin. Everything is ready for the business card of the Piedmontese capital to the whole world. Party in yellow, adorned with totems and flags, which starts in the early afternoon: first with awards ceremonies for school groups and cadets, as well as aperitifs and desserts prepared for the occasion; then around 5pm the arrival of the sprinters in Piazzale Grande Torino.
According to French government projectionslocal wallets are replenished by 9 points for every euro invested in the entire event. And the institutions also benefit: the resources allocated would be tripled. Final result: revenues between 5.1 and 15 million euros.
From a Tour report, the first three Danish stages of the 2022 edition brought in 102 million euros from domestic and foreign tourism. Overall viewers: 1.7 million. In Florence, the city’s tourist study center has estimated that the departure is worth an increase of 20 million euros in GDP. Entertainment, entertainment for the public, but also numbers, in short. Especially because the caravan that follows the Tour is made up of 4,500 people, of which only 40% are part of the competing teams, logistics workers and journalists. A catchment area that occupies a third of the hotel rooms in the Turin metropolitan area, for an estimated value of around 650 thousand euros. Not to forget the tourists and fans following the great event. The umpteenth in the city this year.
Stefano Lo Russo: “The big events to put Turin at the center of the world”
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«The Tour de France represents an important showcase for our territory at an international level – underlines Fabio Borio, president of Federalberghi Torino –. It would be positive if Turin and its province became a fixed stop in the coming years too. We hope that this event can reveal the beauty of our region and encourage tourists to visit our destinations.”
On the AirDna analysis platform, the average cost for a place to stay on Airbnb is around 95 euros. There is still some availability, as well as in restaurants. Since Friday, the venues have been registering more presences thanks also to large groups of tourists. There is an air of optimism. “The trend is positive, there are a lot of them around – explains Fulvio Griffa, president of Fiepet-Confesercenti Torino -. Those who only gravitate for one or two days, usually, do not book, so it is difficult to estimate the turnout. However, as with all large events, there will be a good circulation until Wednesday”.
A warning light, however, has already come on from Caselle airport. In fact, the offices highlight that «these days flights to and from Paris are always full, also due to the fact that rail traffic is still limited». An overview of the final balance sheet on trade, infrastructure and tourism will then be provided by the study of the Region commissioned by the University of Turin. It is curated by Alberto Sardi, researcher of the Department of Management, who maintains that “the preliminary data reveal a very positive economic impact. Such events also have a recognized ability to improve the imagination of a destination, thus contributing to the valorization of the territory”. Good support comes, among other things, from the 250 international media that cover the stages.
