German city's message to Leicester on World Cup bid: Go for it

Leicester can expect a significant tourism boost and millions of pounds of investment if it wins the chance to stage World Cup football, says a German city which hosted matches in 2006.

Ulrich Maly, Mayor of Nuremberg, which hosted several games, said it had enjoyed a growth in visitors ever since as a direct result of the tournament.

Firms, including Adidas, spent millions of pounds sponsoring festivals and parties, and Herr Maly said Leicester could cover much of the cost of being involved in 2018 from similar deals.

He urged people in Leicester to "grab the opportunity with open arms."

City councillors will on Wednesday decide in principle whether to pledge £15.3m of taxpayers' money should the city be part of a successful England bid to host the world's biggest sporting event.

The money would be needed for marketing and upgrading city facilities, including public transport, to meet FIFA standards for hosts.

Organisers of the England bid said host cities could expect a return of £90m based on figures from the German World Cup, which attracted more than 33.6 million people to stadiums and 18 million to fan parks.

Herr Maly said restaurants, hotels and bars in Nuremberg were packed with visitors for six weeks because of the event.

He said: "Since 2006, we've definitely had more tourists coming to us from places like the Netherlands and England and I think this is a direct result of the tournament.

"Our overall number of tourists is up by 10%, although we can't say for sure how much of that is linked to the event.

"When you walked through the streets of Nuremburg there was a euphoric joy. We had no policing problems. It was a wonderful time.

"Leicester should go for it. It's a great opportunity."

Herr Maly said more than £20m was invested in revamping Nuremberg's football stadium and more than £5m was spent on staging events and improvements to the city.

However, much of the cost was met by sponsorship agreements with businesses and the city ended up £1m in profit.

He said: "Adidas and Puma got involved because they have a presence in our region and I'm quite sure major companies local to Leicester would offer their support."

Leicester's bid will be formally submitted to the FA in London on Thursday providing councillors give it the go-ahead.

The city is bidding to host up to four games at an expanded Walkers Stadium and is expecting to attract at least 200,000 fans from around the world, who would gather at huge festivals at Victoria Park and Abbey Park. Leicester City would pay for the stadium expansion.

Council leader Ross Willmott said: "I welcome the Mayor of Nuremberg's comments because we believe there will be real benefits for tourism. This will put us on the map and we believe people who visit for the World Cup will make a holiday of it."

The city's Back the Bid campaign – supported by the Leicester Mercury – has cost £100,000 since it was launched in May.