The figures were released by Transport for London as the full route of the Tour de France was unveiled.
The Grand Depart will be the biggest sporting event to be held in the UK capital ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012.
An estimated two million visitors from across the world are expected to visit London and Kent during the three days the Tour will spend in the UK from 6 to 8 July 2007. As well as huge numbers of tourists lining the route, the race will showcase London and Kent to millions of television spectators around the world.
The three days of the Grand Départ include the Tour de France opening ceremony, Prologue and Stage One. The Prologue on Saturday 7 July will be a 7.9 kilometre (five mile) lap of central London, starting on Whitehall and taking in some of London’s most famous landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park before finishing on the Mall.
Stage One on Sunday 8 July will start in central London, passing close to a variety of historic and contemporary sites including Big Ben, the London Eye, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Gherkin and crossing Tower Bridge, close to City Hall. The race will then travel through Bermondsey, Deptford, Greenwich and Erith before travelling to Kent. In Kent, the tour will pass thorough Dartford, Medway, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford before the stage finish in Canterbury.
The Primary Partners supporting the Grand Départ of the Tour de France 2007 are the Mayor of London, Transport for London, the London Development Agency, Visit London, The Royal Parks, Kent County Council, the South East Development Agency, Canterbury City Council, UK Sport, Sport England and Medway Council.
