As the world’s best golfers assemble for The 154th Open at Royal Birkdale, the championship is set to bring a significant boost to local hospitality businesses, with research suggesting economic spend in and around the host venue could double during the event.
Previous Open Championships show just how significant that boost can be. Analysis by Mastercard, Patron and the Official Card of the Open, found that during last year’s Open at Royal Portrush, overall spending within 5km of the course was around 119% higher than on a typical day, with local bars seeing spending spike by 234% and restaurants jump by 95%.
That jump in spending is set to benefit small and medium sized businesses in particular, which make up 99.6% of UK restaurants, bars and accommodation.
Visitors are set to travel from all over the world for the tournament, with Mastercard’s spend data showing that previous tournaments have proven particularly popular with tourists from the USA, Australia and Ireland. Last year’s championship at Royal Portrush attracted a record 278,000 spectators and generated £89.2 million in direct economic impact for Northern Ireland.
Natalia Lechmanova, Chief Economist Europe at Mastercard Economics Institute, commented: “The Open continues to demonstrate how major sporting events can deliver meaningful economic benefits for host communities. With Liverpool’s strong tourism and hospitality offer, the economic impact of this year’s Championship is expected to extend well beyond the course itself. This also reflects the growing importance of the experience economy, as consumers continue to prioritise spending on meaningful and memorable live events.”
The Open returns to Southport at a time when the share of UK consumer spending on experiences – excluding travel – grew to 23.3% last year, rising from 22.3% in 2024, according to the MEI. Mastercard’s recent Experience Economy Report also found that half of Britons (49%) plan to spend more on experiences in 2026 than last year, and live events (66%) are among top choices for experience-hungry consumers this summer.
In addition, nine in 10 Brits are willing to spend less on ‘things’ in order to spend more on experiences, whilst 61% prefer to spend on experiences which support local communities and businesses. Those numbers support the anticipated growth in popularity of this year’s Open, with the R&A predicting attendance to exceed 300,000 spectators over the week at Royal Birkdale.
