Route du Rhum: sponsors, tourism, businesses, the economic underside of the race

Today the Route du Rhum economy: sponsors, tourism, businesses, the economic underside of the race Published on: 10/30/2026 - 09:15

Listen - 03:08 The Route du Rhum - Destination Guadeloupe is not just a sporting competition. Organized every four years, this solo transatlantic race is also a real economic machine. With a budget of 11.5 million euros, it generates significant benefits for the regions, attracts businesses and offers a valuable showcase to sponsors.

This year, the organization's budget reaches 11.5 million euros. To finance the competition, sponsors alone represent 35% of the resources. The rest comes in particular from communities, skippers' registration fees and revenues generated by the village located in Saint-Malo, in the west of France. This village is one of the highlights of the event.

In the hours preceding departure, scheduled for Sunday November 1, it is expected to welcome more than a million visitors. Attendance which directly benefits the local economy. During the previous edition, in 2022, the Route du Rhum generated nearly 30 million euros in direct economic benefits in Saint-Malo. The main beneficiaries were hotels and restaurants, but also transport and businesses.

Added to these direct benefits is the media visibility offered by the competition. In 2022, the media impact of the Route du Rhum was estimated at around 260 million euros. A valuable exhibition for Saint-Malo, but also for Guadeloupe, which hopes to attract more tourists thanks to the race.

The challenge is therefore also tourism, making the territory known internationally, attracting visitors and prolonging the effects of the competition well after the arrival of the boats. According to the Guadeloupe region, each euro invested in the Route du Rhum returns five. A return on investment which is based in particular on the event's ability to promote the archipelago and stimulate its tourist activity.

The Route du Rhum is also a showcase for businesses. Some take advantage of the event to organize meetings with their customers, seminars or present their products. For brands, it is a way to gain notoriety, but also to develop their commercial activity. The organizer even presents the village as the largest business fair in Brittany.

The sponsors benefit from particular visibility: their logos are displayed large on the sails of the boats. As in cycling, where the name of the teams is directly associated with that of the companies which finance them, here brands can give their name to sailboats. This association extends well beyond the race, with repercussions in terms of image and commercial relations.

Machine-translated from French