150th Open Gives £300m+ Boost To Scottish Economy

Last year’s Open was special for several reasons, and Scotland has reaped the financial benefits of the occasion to the tune of over £300m – the highest in its history.

As well as being the 150th edition of the tournament, it was held at the Home of Golf, St Andrews, for the first time since 2015. The drama on the course was captivating, too, with Cameron Smith easing to his first Major victory two days after three-time Open winner Tiger Woods left The Old Course, potentially for the final time.

The boost to the Scottish economy certainly reflects the significance of the occasion. According to an independent study commissioned by The R&A, VisitScotland and Fife Council, the Major hugely benefitted Scotland economically. 

The study, conducted by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC), revealed the tournament impacted Scotland to the tune of £106m in new money entering the economy. As well as that, independent research led by YouGov Sport shows a further £201m of destination marketing benefit reaching Scotland thanks to the tournament's broadcast worldwide. 

CEO of The R&A Martin Slumbers said: “The 150th Open was a historic occasion for golf which has generated a substantial economic benefit for Scotland thanks to a record-breaking attendance at St Andrews and tens of millions of fans worldwide who watched the Championship broadcast.

Culture Minister Christina McKelvie stressed the benefit of the tournament, and others, to the Scottish economy. She said: “Scotland is the Home of Golf and this independent report confirms the significant benefit The 150th Open brought to our economy.

“The Scottish Government has a long-standing track record of supporting golf events, including direct support for the annual men’s and women’s Scottish Open. Last year was an unprecedented success for golf events in Scotland, headlined by The 150th Open at St Andrews.”

Director of Events at Visit Scotland, Paul Bush OBE, echoed her sentiments, saying: “2022 marked a momentous year for golf in Scotland with a number of the world’s biggest and most prestigious golf championships returning home to be played over an action packed five weeks.

“Today’s impact figures emphasise the importance of the Championships to both Fife and Scotland, and to the wider post-pandemic recovery with the scale of benefits strengthening another significant chapter in Scotland’s rich golfing history.”

Attendance figures also hit a new record, with 290,000 fans flocking to St Andrews, which easily surpassed the previous high of 239,000 at the same venue in 2000. The study also revealed that Fife alone had received a £61m boost of new money as a result of the huge numbers arriving at the region for the tournament.

The Open captured the imagination of visitors from around the world, too, with more than half who attended coming from outside Scotland. That included 31% from elsewhere in the UK and 19.2% from the USA. Things bode well for future Opens, too, with 52% of spectators saying they hoped to attend at least one of the next three.

Councillor Altany Craik of Fife Council said: "The past three years have been a very difficult time for tourism, and this provided a very welcome boost to our accommodation providers, restaurants and other tourism-related businesses.“