This year�s Tour Down Under - the first UCI ProTour event ever staged outside of Europe - has been a record breaker for South Australia.

Preliminary economic impact and research figures received show that the 2008 Tour Down Under � Australia�s biggest bike race - has provided a major economic boost, with more visitors to the state, greater participation in the support events, more spectators and increased media coverage.

The 2008 Tour Down Under injected $17.3M (a 50.4% increase from 2007) into the State�s economy through the direct expenditure of the 15,100 event specific visitors who traveled from interstate and overseas to witness cycling history.

Total visitor nights topped an all time high of 195,200. Of this amount 140,500 were contributed by the event specific visitors, meaning a 37.7% increase on event specific visitor nights compared to the 2007 event.

The 548,000 spectators who lined the roads to cheer on the best cycling teams in the world also made their mark, with a 53.5% increase in spectators this year.

Following for ease of reference, is a summary of key results for the 2008 event.

Key Performance Indicator 2007 Tour Down Under 2008 Tour Down Under Percentage Difference+ or - Total Attendance (Crowd Figures) 357,000 548,000 +53.5% Total Visitors (to the state who attended the TDU) 16,100 21,000 +30.4% Total Visitor Nights 140,000 195,200 +39.4% Event Specific Visitors (not including children under 17 yrs) 10,500 15,100 +43.8% Event Specific Visitor Nights 102,000 140,500 +37.7% Economic Impact $11.5M $17.3M +50.4%

For further information contact Melissa Humphrey, Media Relations Manager at the South Australian Tourism Commission on 0414 317 913