THE Tour of Britain event that went through Worcester last month gave the city a £500,000 economic boost, it has emerged.

On September 10, 20,000 people lined the streets to see some of the world's best cyclists set off on the final leg of the epic race, heading for the finish line in Cardiff.

Now, research from event organisers SweetSpot shows the event brought an impressive £511,888 economic boost to the city.

Supporters of the race spent their cash in the city’s hotels, with 21 per cent of them staying overnight to catch the race start, as well as Worcester’s cafes, restaurants, shops and visitor attractions.

Race organisers also spent £20,663 to hold the Tour’s final stage start in the city, helping to reach the £511,888 net total.

The research, carried out in line with official HM Treasury guidelines, shows 30 per cent of visitors on the day came from outside the West Midlands, supporting sponsors, Worcester City Council's aim to attract more tourists to Worcester.

The tour also raised Worcester’s national profile, with 985,000 Tweet impressions from @tourofbritain on the day and 1,500 views of a YouTube video of the day’s highlights. More than 800,000 people also tuned into TV coverage of the Worcester race start on ITV4.

Other event sponsors included the University of Worcester, Gtech and Heart of Worcestershire (HOW) College.

Councillor Lucy Hodgson, chairman of the city council’s place and economic development sub-committee, said: “The council is committed to enhancing Worcester’s reputation as an inspirational sporting city that hosts regular international competitions, and the success of the Tour of Britain in our city shows how this strategy is working."

"We want to inspire people to take up sports, so I’m heartened to see that 54 per cent of people who watched the Tour say they’ll now be cycling more often.”

Cllr Geoff Williams, vice chairman of the sub-committee, said: “Worcester has so much to offer to visitors, with our rich heritage, fantastic retail and leisure offers, and growing sporting reputation.

"It’s a real success story for our city with the Tour attracting so many people.

"They’ll spread the word about what a great place Worcester is, many will make return visits and all this will feed into our growing tourist appeal.”

Mick Bennett, Tour of Britain race director added: “Worcester always provides a very warm welcome and large, enthusiastic crowds.

"I’m sure we’ll be back again in future years.”