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Abstract
While much is written on the economic and social impacts of certain types of major sports tourism event such as the Olympic Games and soccer World Cup, there has been relatively little assessment of different types of event, such as the Tour de France. Furthermore, most impact studies assess the impacts either during or after the event. This paper examines certain impacts in relation to the Tour de France Stage One race that ended in the city of Canterbury on 8 July 2007, but adopts a different approach by examining the views and perceptions of residents in the run up to the event rather than looking at impacts per se. 408 residents were interviewed to assess the extent to which the local population was aware of the event, likely to participate in it and how far they would support it. In addition, the study was also concerned to assess the effectiveness of the City Council's promotional campaign. Results showed that the vast majority of residents were aware of the event with many planning to watch the race or participate in related activities. Furthermore, despite the potential for various negative impacts, there was overwhelming support for the decision to host the event, suggesting a very successful promotional campaign by the City Council.