Urbano Cairo, President of RCS MediaGroup: “The data presented by the Banca Ifis research are outstanding and continuously growing. The Giro d’Italia’s contribution to exports is now evident and confirms that the Corsa Rosa has entered another dimension. It is no longer just a great sporting event, but a concrete tool for territorial development and support for Italian companies. We are talking about a system that generates over €2.5 billion, with indicators that continue to rise. The Giro d’Italia is good for Italy, for businesses and for local communities. If so many Countries invest significant amounts, it is because they have understood the real value of this project in economic, tourism and international reputation terms“.
Matteo Zoppas, President of ICE – Italian Trade Agency: “The Giro d’Italia is much more than a sporting event: it is a strategic platform for promoting Italy’s industry, culture and tourism worldwide. It represents an important tool for the development of the Bike Economy and a powerful amplifier of Made in Italy, operating within the framework of the ‘Growth Diplomacy’ promoted by Minister Tajani. Thanks to a global audience of over 800 million people — including 1.5 million who have developed a steady propensity to purchase Made in Italy products — the Giro brings the excellence of Italian regions and industrial districts to the centre of the international stage, actively supporting exports. The data confirm this impact: in 2024, the Bike Economy recorded exports worth €760 million (+2.5% compared to the previous year), and in the first eight months of 2025 exports had already reached €550 million (+6.1% versus the same period in 2024). Through Business Forums, international meetings, B2B activities and the presence of top cycling champions, we are creating concrete growth opportunities for companies, fostering new commercial partnerships and developing new markets. The results are therefore tangible and act as a strategic lever for many other sectors, as demonstrated by the growing interest sparked by the Giro in tourism and the purchase of Italian products, for example in the agri-food sector. The Giro d’Italia is thus a real instrument for economic development, not just a great sporting spectacle“.
Andrey Kovatchev, Member of the European Parliament: “I am proud to be here and deeply impressed by the figures and data presented. In Bulgaria, we are proud that next year we will be part of the Giro d’Italia and benefit from the extraordinary impact this event generates. Our Country is joining the Eurozone and we believe the Giro can represent an important symbol of this new beginning. We strongly believe in sport as a tool for social prevention and economic development: every euro invested in sports infrastructures generates value, growth, promotion and tourism. We are here with a large delegation to show how highly we regard this opportunity. Bulgaria and Italy share a long friendship, a common European history and a solid partnership that we wish to further strengthen also through the Giro d’Italia“.
Raffaele Zingone, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Commercial Officer of Banca Ifis: “Sport creates value for local territories not only during events themselves, but also by encouraging tourism in the months that follow and by promoting Made in Italy purchases around the world. Through the Ifis Sport project, Banca Ifis supports the Italian sports ecosystem with specialised credit solutions and social projects, particularly aimed at younger generations. In the case of the Giro d’Italia, the value of the event is also cultural, thanks to a history of more than one hundred years that, in every edition, crosses the entire country, enhancing all the beauty – including its productive excellence – that our Bank has been supporting for over forty years“.
Paolo Bellino, CEO and General Manager, RCS Sports & Events: “For years, thanks to our collaboration with ICE, we have no longer looked at the Giro only as a sporting event, but we also analyse the figures it generates in terms of impact on the territory. The research provided by Banca Ifis shows that we are working well, growing year after year, both in terms of audience and return on investment for our partners. These figures are important and generate direct economic impacts on our Country’s GDP. We still have some years of work ahead to further refine our activities, but the growth is evident and will bring benefits both to the sporting event itself and to everything that revolves around it“.
Radomir Petrovic, Wholesale & Export Director, Planet Bike: “Made in Italy and the Giro d’Italia have a very strong value in the Balkan region. The cycling market, including e-bikes, is growing rapidly. In Serbia, for example, we hosted two UCI Granfondo events with Ivan Basso, with between 700 and over 1,000 amateur cyclists taking part. Italian sporting culture and cycling manufacturing represent a model, and Made in Italy continues to be synonymous with quality and reliability in our area“.
Steve Smith, Head of Cycling, Manifattura Valcismon: “This is our ninth year of collaboration with the Giro d’Italia, and thanks to this journey we have been able to take Made in Italy to the world. Values such as quality, innovation, tradition and design promoted by Banca Ifis now represent an extraordinary calling card. By accompanying the race even in its international starts, we can see how the cycling market has grown significantly, and we are also looking with enthusiasm to the future in Bulgaria“.
Davide Cassani, President, APT Emilia-Romagna: “I have held this role for seven years, and I can say that cycling and cycle tourism are now a structured tourism product: we are talking about around 500,000 overnight stays per year, including over 25,000 from outside Europe, with an audience made up of 80% European cycle tourists. The system offers 9,000 cycling routes and over 20 major cycle paths connecting valleys, art cities and the sea. For us, cycling, and therefore the Giro d’Italia, is fundamental because it represents history, culture and a powerful multiplier of emotions. The cameras tell the story of territories, monuments and excellence, turning every stage into global promotion. We have shifted tourism from nightlife entertainment towards sport: the sports tourist is sustainable, high-spending and creates real value“.
Matteo Cassina, CEO, Passoni and Ashmei; Publisher of Rouleur: “Today, the Giro d’Italia is a global platform. The real numbers are much higher than traditional figures because the digital dimension has enormously expanded the audience: every rider and every team is a media outlet in its own right. Italian cycling is going through a phase of transformation but also great opportunity, and the Giro, with aerial shots of our cities, has an enormous impact on how the Country is perceived abroad. Moreover, as the race passes through, investments are triggered, infrastructures are improved and year-round tourism grows“.
Sergio Francesco, CEO, NIMBL: “We decided to focus on Made in Italy through the Giro d’Italia and the Maglia Rosa, a universal symbol and a dream for generations. Joining this project was like ‘winning the Giro’ for us, because the Corsa Rosa is the only major event that lasts three weeks but generates value for twelve months — a promotional engine that we strongly wanted and proudly renewed, convinced of its economic and identity value“.
Francesco Bellissimo, Celebrity chef, TV personality, actor and Italian entrepreneur: “Our gastronomy is unique in terms of variety, history and territorial richness: twenty different regions, extraordinary products and a creativity that makes Italy an ideal Country for every chef. Italian cuisine is loved and studied all over the world, especially in Asia and Japan, and for me it is an honour to represent it“.
