Tour of Britain draws 10,000 visitors to city
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Stage one of the men's Tour of Britain cycling race drew around 10,000 visitors to Lincoln, according to council bosses.
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The stage started and finished in Lincoln on Wednesday before the race moved on to Boston on Thursday for stage two, and Hull and East Yorkshire for stage three.
Natalie Oliver from Lincolnshire County Council said the event had been an "incredible" occasion and put the county "on the map".
On Friday the cyclists passed through Withernsea, where Mayor Kristina Richardson said the visitors had "a positive impact" on local businesses.
Oliver said while the council had not compiled the full economic data yet, visitor numbers had surpassed their estimate of 8,000 earlier in the week.
"We had circa 10,000 people in the city for stage one," she said.
"Of that, we had 7,000 come into the castle grounds, and around 50% of those… came through our marquee to find out more about Lincolnshire as a destination and more about cycling.
"We had national and international coverage, so we have projected Lincolnshire out to the world and show them exactly what we've got to offer.
"It's put Lincolnshire on the map," she said.
On Friday, stage three of the race saw the riders set off in Hull and race through towns and villages including Bilton, Preston, Hedon, Withernsea, Mappleton, Hornsea, Skipsea, Langtoft and Driffield, before finishing in Beverley.
Richardson said the publicity and footfall of visitors had a positive impact for local businesses in Withernsea.
"It's about supporting local businesses, not just in the summer season and the height of when people were here for holidays.
"It's just good for our town," she said.
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