After pursuing this goal for many years, the city Bilbao this weekend will experience the beginning of the most emblematic race in world cycling: HE Tour de France. The countdown, which started in March 2021, with the Basque Government and the Biscayan capital City Council reaching an agreement with ASO, the organizer of the cycling event, is about to end and this is how it is perceived in the world. streets, a few days after they started They wear the race’s characteristic yellow colours.
The tour requires a great deal of organization and the city is preparing to welcome it in the best possible way. “greatest event”. This was stated last May by city council’s councilor for Economic Development, Trade and Employment, Xabier Otxandiano, who added that the acceptance of the race “did not fit in the flash of a day” and they had been working on it for years. very clear: sports, cultural and business events”.
Actually negotiations to bring ‘Grande Boucle’‘ It started in 2016 when the council invited the Tour de France general manager, Christian Prudhomme, to enjoy a stage of the Vuelta a España that runs through town. At that moment, negotiations began that will bear fruit these days, with the start of the most important bicycle race from the foot of the San Mamés stadium on Saturday, July 1st.
However, cycling enthusiasts and citizens who want to soak up the atmosphere surrounding this very special test will be able to enjoy this Thursday. official team presentationThe scene to be viewed on Paseo Abandoibarra, between the Euskalduna Palace and the Guggenheim Museum.
Great economic impact
The effort to bring an event of this magnitude to the Basque Country required, among other things, a significant effort by Basque institutions that grew into something more. 12 million euro investment. According to official data, more than two-thirds of the investment was made by the Basque Government (3.2), Bilbao City Council (3.2) and Vizcaya Provincial Council (2.4). The municipalities of Guipúzcoa (1.1) and Álava (0.5) and the municipalities of San Sebastián (1.1) and Vitoria (0.5) contributed the remainder of the investment until they completed the 12 million cost of this historic event, both sporting and social. The level that will pass through almost half of the Basque municipalities.
Now, once the payment has been made, it’s time to make the investment profitable, which is estimated to be around the year 2000. more than 100 million euros. While the final figures will not be known until after the Tour de France, initial estimates are based on experience of the ‘Grande Boucle’ leaving outside France over the past decade, such as Yorkshire, Brussels, Düsseldorf or Copenhagen. indicates a return of 6 to 9 euros per euro investedaccording to calculations provided by Otxandiano at the time.
sectors such as hotelier or hospitality The local will have a good business opportunity thanks to the fans who dragged the Tour and the staff who are part of the race. Employees of participating teams, sponsors, security guards and nearly 3,000 accredited journalists will broadcast the event live to 190 countries It is part of the tens of thousands of people who will roam and consume in the cities of the Basque Country in the first three stages.
Israel MunizCEO hotel taycoindicates that”very welcome” and they’re practically complete for the weekend. “We are very happy because we also have two restaurants where we perceive more customers”, he explains. assistant director Vincci Consulate hotel in Bilbao, Arturo Garcia-LoygorriAcknowledging that they have a good reserve flow due to different groups coming through travel agents from Belgium, France, Netherlands and other central European countries to enjoy the ‘Grand Départ’.
The hotel industry in the city center will also benefit from this event, at least they think so. hector sanchezmanager Vizcaya Hospitality AssociationWhile valuing positive results in accommodation points out that there is some uncertainty about what the event will actually mean for bars and restaurants.
“We don’t know what these days will bring us. It didn’t impress us that much in other years of the Tour, but I think the Tour got more people moving. “I hope people come from Cantabria, Burgos and other areas of the north where the love of cycling is intense.” ruben garciarestaurant manager atseden and the manager of three other stores in Bilbao’s Ledesma district.
Bilbao on international map
Beyond the short-term impact of the Tour de France on the economy of the Basque Country and Bilbao in particular, both the hotels and hospitality industry in the region agree that it is an event. great opportunity for the city in general. And that is, the premiere tour is a race for victory with the world’s best runners as well as a televised announcement that tens of millions of people will watch the race on television every day in nearly 200 countries. More than any other sporting event except the Olympic Games and the World Cup. Aerial footage of the route and shots of the streets around Vizcaya, Álava and Guipúzcoa will show the world the impressive landscapes of the region.
“It’s more than work these days, which is very good but just a day or two, the really interesting thing is to put ourselves on the map.”
“In addition to the obvious direct effect, there is also a medium or long term effect very important media and advertising implications”, Sánchez thinks. accepts Felix Partyresponsible businessman pan“It’s more than work these days, which is very good but only for a day or two,” said the manager, who runs 10 businesses in Bilbao. the really interesting thing is to position ourselves on the map”. Muñiz thinks the town has “solidified for some time as a welcome town for sporting events, conventions and concerts of all kinds” and that, in his view, means “to come back.” Placing Bilbao in a crucial international role and in the eyes of many potential customers”.
García-Loygorri sees this date as “a new opportunity to position himself,” and depending on how the event unfolds, “it will say a lot about history. the city’s capacity to host such events and the tourism sector can grow even more,” he said.
Logistics uncertainty
On an economic and social level, it is clear that the French stage will bring great news, but this 110th race will be the second start of the legendary race south of the Pyrenees. The other event was the official departure from San Sebastián in 1992. Therefore, all doubts are reasonable and uncertainty that plagues the service industry these days. And it is that the myriad restrictions on mobility on the streets and highways of the Basque Country will affect the vast majority of society, even hotel workers who have to advance their orders and procure necessary supplies. weekend.
“Some of the hospitality industry will benefit from this, but there is another part that needs to make up for the disadvantages of a career with these traits. Out of town, in the slums, there are lots of places to get cut off and so, Neither customers nor employees will be able to go to the facility.. They have no choice but to not work,” says the director of Vizcaya Hotel and Catering Association, pointing out that the supply of raw materials will be reinforced: Bilbao and difficult to calculate How big will the avalanche be? Unknown.”
The same questions are shared by Félix Parte, who, while talking to other colleagues, perceives differing views on the impact of the Tour on the hospitality industry. “There are people who they think that would be a good thing, but others think that with so many barricades the city may become a bit isolated.. I think there will be business and we will strengthen ourselves with more staff, but in the end there may be fewer customers than expected. We won’t know until that moment,” the businessman admits.
Like his other colleagues, Rubén García placed the necessary orders earlier in the week. “Hotels have reinforced templates, because We don’t really know what’s coming and carriers are also not clear about it. There is some misinformation about it, but on the street people are excitedHe points to Atseden’s manager.
Thus, as the day marked in red on the calendar approaches, the streets of Bilbao turn yellow to welcome a historic Tour de France for the Basque Country. expected over the weekend lots of movement, emotion, music, illusion and a festive atmosphere. But it’s also work, work and stress for many of the employees who will struggle to get the biggest event held in this city that loves cycling so much.