Investment of up to £9.25m will be required to host the start of the 2027 men’s Tour de France in Edinburgh, the Scottish government has revealed.
Edinburgh councillors agreed to put aside £1.7m of income from the city’s visitor levy to fund the opening stage, which was confirmed to be staged in Scotland’s capital back in March.
The government will publish a full breakdown of costs following the event, as is standard for major events.
Tourism minister Richard Lochhead confirmed the figure required to cover costs at Holyrood.
“This funding will help Scotland realise the full potential of the social and economic benefits the Tour de France will bring to our country, as well as ensure that the event is delivered safely, securely and successfully,” he said.
“Hosting the Grand Départ for the 2027 Tour de France will enhance Scotland’s already stellar reputation as an international events destination, and will allow us to further showcase our country on the world stage, with the event being broadcast in 190 countries, with around 150m viewers in Europe alone.”
Hosting the Grand Départ has long been a goal of Scotland for the past 15 years, with their closest previous attempt seeing them narrowly miss out to Yorkshire in 2014.
Now set to get things underway for the 114th edition of the Tour de France, cyclists will set off from Edinburgh and go through Wales and England before crossing the Channel.
The 2027 event is expected to attract more than 1.27m spectators and generate more than £45.4m in economic impact for Edinburgh, as per comparable data from 2014 which saw roadside crowds for the three English stages reach an estimated 4.8m.
The women’s Tour de France will also begin in Britain in 2027 but the start location has yet to be announced.
