SPORT BLAIR CASTLE HORSE TRIALS
It’s more than just horse play, you know
Blair Castle Horse Trials brings a £4m boon to the local economy
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN I
t might be regarded as a bit of a jodhpur yomp for the sartorially well-endowed, but the annual Blair Castle Horse Trials officially gives plenty
back to the community after new research revealed the equestrian event contributes more than £4m to the local economy. Last year saw a crowd of 63,405
hack their way to the famous Highland estate, in Perthshire, and according to an economic impact report put together by the Sports Industry Research Centre at Shef- field Hallam University, the spend generated by their stay hugely benefited the area. After crunching numbers gleaned
from interviews with spectators, re- seachers found that 89% of visitors stayed locally for at least one night, with almost 25,000 bed nights contributing £1.08m to the total; the Scotland-wide total spend on items other than accommodation was an additional £1.99 million; on top of that 39% of spectators stated that attending the Trials was their primary reason for coming to Scotland and the event also received 268 hours of television broadcast
“WE WANT TO SEE SCOTTISH AND HIGHLAND PERTHSHIRE BUSINESSES BENEFIT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AGAIN THIS YEAR”
Nicky Townshend, Assistant Director of the Blair Castle Horse Trials.
The annual Blair Castle
Horse Trials are officially a big earner for the local and national economies
worldwide, reaching 34.4million viewers. “It is very important to us to gain
economic feedback on the event both from those competing and those coming along to spectate,” said Nicky Townshend, Assistant Director of the Blair Castle Horse Trials. “We want to see Scottish and
Highland Perthshire businesses benefit as much as possible again this year by marketing their servic- es to take advantage of the event’s visitors; we can help them get involved with sponsorship or adver- tising. Te Horse Trials are not just for multi-million pound companies – there are packages from just £200, offering branding opportunities, data capture, hospitality or trade stand space,” she said. Te Atholl Estates venue also
employs 85 staff in tourism, hydro, farming, forestry, housing and field sports; all were recognised for the vital role played by its workforce in
setting up and clearing the event with minimal impact on the envi- ronment. “Te event is extremely good news for the local economy and for Scotland generally, with £4.13 million worth of expenditure generated across Scotland last year by attendees, participants and Atholl Estates as organisers of the 2015 FEI European Eventing Championship.”
THE STUDY saw a cross section of attendees at last year’s event ques- tioned face-to-face by the research team on a range of issues such as their accommodation and spending choices, length of stay and opinions on the shopping village and Coun- try Fair. As well as spectators, the research gathered the opinions of national team riders, grooms, event staff, volunteers, media personnel, traders and contractors. Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland’s
Director of Events, said: “Te FEI European Eventing Champion- ships were a tremendous occasion
for Scotland and had an incredibly positive impact on both local and national economies, encouraging an influx of visitors to Perthshire. “Te event also generated terrific
exposure for one of the country’s most scenic areas through world- wide media coverage, which has created the potential for further inbound tourism, representing a significant legacy impact. We hope many of those who have been in- spired by these images of Scotland take the decision to return for this year’s Blair Castle Equi-Trek Inter- national Horse Trials.”
What: Blair Castle Equi-Trek International Horse Trials When: 25-28 August, 2016 Where: Blair Castle, Perthshire
EVENTSBASE | SUMMER 2016 | 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44