The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce is backing the Diamond Races event as good for business and good for Island jobs. At its recent board meeting there was total support for the proposed new motorcycle time-trial event planned to be held on the Island in October 2021.
Steven Holbrook, Chief Executive Officer of the IW Chamber commented: “Major events at this level can bring millions of pounds of investment to the Isle of Wight. Diamond Races will be held in October, which is perfect to extend the Island’s visitor economy outside of the normal summer season. There’s never been more focus on the need to support jobs in our tourism sector and this event will undoubtedly bring genuine new business at a time of the year when we need it the most.”
Organisers of the Diamond Races are expecting a crowd of between 25-45,000 which could provide the Island with a £12m cash boost. The famous TT Races and Festival of Motorcycling held each year on the Isle of Man generate 60% of all visitor income during the year in just a few short weeks. The Isle of Wight is ideally located just two hours from London, one of the most value motorcycle marketplaces in the world.
Steve continued: “Whilst tourism businesses across the Island will certainly benefit, we’re equally excited about interest the event has generated in the technology and electric vehicle sectors. We understand that some businesses are already considering the Isle of Wight as a potential new production base as a direct result of the media publicity generated by the recent Diamond Races launch.
We’re looking forward to working closely with the organisers over the coming months and to making sure our membership benefits directly from Diamond Races. I’ve been impressed by the quality of the team behind the event and feel confident that it will play a big part of building the Isle of Wight’s economic future.”
Paul Sandford, CEO, Diamond Races added: “This is an event which has been developed on the Isle of Wight with the joint aims of achieving a world-class sporting spectacle, whilst bringing more prosperity and sustaining local jobs. We welcome the Chamber’s support and thank Steven for rolling up his sleeves to work alongside us on this exciting project.”
More information about Diamond Races can be found online at diamondraces.com
