Wednesday November 26th 2025
Tour O the Borders cycling event 2025
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A high-profile cycling event staged in the Borders earlier this year bolstered the region’s economy by £755k, it has emerged.
An independent assessment, carried out in accordance with recognised events impact assessment principles and calculations, was undertaken as part of an agreement between Scottish Borders Council, communities on the closed road route and Hillside Outside, organisers of the Tour O The Borders event.
The 2025 Tour O The Borders covered 120km and 88km routes, both of which began and finished in Peebles.
Over 2,200 people participated in the event and a post event survey, returned by half of the participants found that 91 per cent of them had come from outside the local area and had stayed overnight. They also said they would be unlikely or would definitely not take part in the event if it was held on open road.
Businesses along the route were also approached to take part in a survey, as part of the assessment process. Almost three quarters considered the event to be important or very important for the Scottish Borders community, with 44 per cent saying it generated extra custom. Seven businesses said the event resulted in a reduction in custom.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, SBC’s executive member for Economic Growth and Developing the Borders, said: “Events, such as the Tour O The Borders, play a vital role in delivering on the ambitions of the Regional Economic Strategy, including bringing people to the area and boosting the local economy.
“All our region’s events help to showcase the South of Scotland, assisting us to generate long-lasting and wider benefits beyond any event itself. They also help the Borders to encourage participants and visitors to come back and further explore more of our area.
“The council is committed to working with event organisers to achieve these goals and to also ensure that the Borders benefits as much as possible from the fantastic array of events that take place here.
“For events, such as Tour O The Borders, which do result in some disruption through road closures, we continue to encourage event organisers to engage with those impacted communities and work hard to find ways to collaborate positively together to capitalise on opportunities events can bring.”
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