Featured Image: Guy Kinnings, chief executive of the European Tour Group
The 2023 Ryder Cup hosted at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome attracted 271,000 people from more than 100 different countries.
According to an independent report published be researchers from Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) in the UK, the number of attendees helped to boost economic activity in Italy by €262m (£221m/$285m).
It was the first time the Ryder Cup was held in Italy, with the figure presenting an 11% increase on the €235m generated in 2018 when the biennial contest was held at Le Golf National in Paris, France. It was also a record for a Ryder Cup held in Europe.
Additionally, spectators staying in paid accommodation during the week of the 2023 tournament generated in excess of 318,000 commercial bed-nights, worth €34m in revenue. There was also €72m in non-accommodation related expenditure from spectators.
The researchers at Sheffield Hallam University utilised the same eventIMPACTS compliant approach as previously used for Scotland (2014) and France (2018) to estimate the direct economic impact across Rome, Lazio and Italy as well as the wider economy.
Europe ultimately reclaimed the Ryder Cup in 2023 after celebrating a victory over the US.
Guy Kinnings, chief executive of the European Tour Group, said: “The figures highlighted in this independent economic impact report demonstrate the major benefits that Ryder Cup delivers for a host country through spectator and visitor spending, as well as an enduring legacy.
“From a sporting and fan engagement perspective, Rome 2023 has already gone down as one of the greatest Ryder Cup’s in history. We can now confidently conclude that the 2023 contest at Marco Simone also generated record financial rewards, providing a significant direct boost to the economy in Rome and in Italy.”
The 2025 Ryder Cup is set to be staged in the US at Bethpage Black in New York, while Ireland’s Adare Manor Resort will host the next edition in Europe in 2027, where the Ryder Cup will celebrate its centenary.
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