Welcoming Sailing's Highest Performers to Portsmouth
I love our city. A lot of you will be used to me saying that, but this weekend is the perfect example of why I work everyday to champion Portsmouth - the UK's only island city.
Today racing kicks off in the Portsmouth leg of the 2025 SailGP race. Thousands of people from all over the world are here to experience what makes our city so great for themselves and another 20 million will zoom into our city from around the world with live coverage on TNT Sports, CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and YouTube.
Events like SailGP and The Ocean Race which will return in August prove that we are the natural home of the UK's maritime sector and respected globally for our sea-going heritage.
Experts have estimated that over the next two days, SailGP will bring £15 million into our city's economy - supporting cafes, hotels, independent shops, and thousands of jobs
Local hotels have told me they're full with people coming to Portsmouth ready to watch the races, eat in our restaurants, and experience the UK's great waterfront city.
SailGP's new multi-million pound research and construction facility has created 100 jobs in our region, with a commitment to creating more and a passion for training the next generation through apprenticeships.
SailGP is putting our city on the world stage alongside Sydney, Rio, Bermuda, Saint Tropez, Dubai, and New York.
So when people ask me why I love our city, the answer is simple. Our city is full of amazing people - people like you - whose passion, heart, and spirit make Portsmouth a go-to destination for tourism and a world-class destination for events.