Champions League final to provide Cardiff with economic boost
by Tom Walker | 02 Jul 2015
Traveling fans will provide Cardiff's hospitality operators with a boost
Welsh capital Cardiff will host the biggest game in European club football, the final of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), in 2017.
The UK Government worked closely with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) to bring the match to the Millennium Stadium and the game is expected to provide the city with a tourism boost.
A study by the IPAM Marketing School last year estimated that the 2014 Champions League final in Lisbon, Portugal, provided the city with an economic boost worth €45m (£32m).
Around 54 per cent of the impact generated came from overnight stays in Lisbon, while restaurants generated nearly 22 per cent of the total worth.
In 2013, approximately 100,000 German fans arrived in London to watch the UCL final – played between two German teams, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich – without tickets, boosting London’s economy by an estimated £44m.
Cardiff will also benefit from added global exposure, as the Champions League final is broadcast to 400 million people in 200 countries.
Secretary of State for Wales, Stephen Crabb, said: “The FAW’s bid has had the full backing of the UK Government and we should be rightly proud of all the efforts that have gone into securing this pinnacle match.
“Hosting this prestigious fixture is another opportunity for one of Europe’s most exciting capital cities to shine in front of an audience of millions, bringing with it an economic boost that reaches the whole of Wales.”
The Millennium Stadium will become only the fourth British venue to host the prestigious end-of-season decider, joining London’s Wembley (seven finals) Glasgow’s Hampden (three finals) and Manchester’s Old Trafford (one final) in the elite group of stadiums.
Welsh capital Cardiff will host the biggest game in European club football, the final of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), in 2017. The UK Government worked closely with the Football Association of Wales (FAW) to bring the match to the Millennium Stadium and the game is expected to provide the city with a tourism boost. A study by the IPAM Marketing School last year estimated that the 2014 Champions League
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