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Glorious Legacy of Gleneagles

Scotland set to reap the benefits of the best ever Ryder Cup

A golden age for Scottish golf is set to follow the unprecedented success of The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles. 

Ministers expect the impact of this year’s event to eclipse previous Ryder Cup events and on-going research will update the figure of £100 million in economic benefits based on the 38th Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor.

During a debate on the legacy of the competition, the Cabinet Secretary for Sport, Shona Robison stated that the research project will look at just how successful the 2014 competition has been for Scotland.

The Cabinet Secretary said,

“To ensure that we capture full benefits a full independent evaluation is now underway. Last week’s Ryder Cup was a spectacular success. Gleneagles was even more glorious than any of us could have imagined and we need to capture just how successful it has been for Scotland. I have no doubt the total benefits will surpass the previous figures by some margin reflecting Scotland reputation as the home of golf and major events.”

Around 250,000 fans from 96 different countries were at Gleneagles and a coverage through multiple broadcasters reached more than 500 million homes around the world.

Glasgow airport reported a five per cent increase in traffic and hundreds of private jets were reported to have landed in Edinburgh. International airlines, including US Airways and United Airlines, reported an increase in demand for international. There was also an increase in demand for domestic services from airlines including easyjet and British Airways.

Across Scotland, hotels reported an increase in bookings. Golf clubs from Ayrshire to Carnoustie have seen bookings increase for tee times during the Ryder Cup.

During the debate Ms Robison also spoke about the long term legacy benefits to Scotland:

“Plans are already in place to continue the legacy and next year with The Open Championship at St Andrews and the Women’s British Open at Turnberry. With the future of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open having been secured for years to come and agreement reached to support events across the ladies, seniors and satellite tours, it is clear Scotland that will be a leading golf event destination for many years to come

“Scotland is not only the Home of Golf, but it is also the future of golf. This Government is committed to increasing the number of people playing the sport through our successful ClubGolf programme which has already seen more than 350,000 youngsters to pick up a club. New additional funding of up to £1m, over a 4 year period, will build on that success and expand the appeal to families as well.

“Thanks to world class staging Scotland - a real joint effort amongst all those involved - Scotland has shown itself as a country that can stage the biggest events and deliver a world class experience for visitors from across the world.”

Notes To Editors

Sheffield Hallam University's Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) has been appointed to undertake the economic impact and benefits study of The 2014 Ryder Cup by partners. The Scottish Government will update parliament accordingly once the research has been completed in spring 2015.

 

Channel website: http://www.gov.scot/

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