Bermuda is to bid to host a World Triathlon Series Grand Final, which could attract thousands of visitors to the island.

Kevin Dallas, the chief executive of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, said the successful International Triathlon Union World Series race in April had positioned the island to hold a bigger event in three years’ time.

He added: “We would expect 3,000 people to attend and that would be in 2021.

“That bid will go in later this summer. It is already fully funded and we are cautiously optimistic that we have a fighting chance.”

Mr Dallas said the April ITU event was responsible for some of the increase in visitor air arrivals in the second quarter of the year.

He added: “This event was one that the BTA and the Bermuda Triathlon Association went and bid for almost two years ago. We won that bid and have hosted the first of three events this April.

“The Government committed $2.9 million of funding to support that event, for which they got a 152 per cent return, according to the economic impact study done last month by PwC.

“We hope they are very pleased with that return on investment.”

Mr Dallas was speaking as he unveiled tourism statistics for the second quarter of the year last Friday.

He added that more ITU events were already scheduled for 2019 and 2020 and that the island had a “runway” for even more races to be held in Bermuda.

A PwC report on the economic impact of the April event found the MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda — won by Bermuda’s Flora Duffy — pumped $4.4 million into the island’s economy.

The race, seen by an estimated 1.1 million viewers, also showcased the island as a potential tourism destination.

A total of 809 people — 340 of them participants — travelled to the island for the event,

The MS Amlin World Triathlon Bermuda will return to the island on April 28 and 29 next year.