Cyclists will visit Kent and Medway on day two of the race

Organisers in Paris unveiled the 2007 route on Thursday. The event starts in London on 7 July.

The opening 8km prologue is in London and day two will see the riders travel out of London to Kent and Medway, finishing in Canterbury.

The tour last visited the South East in 1994, with riders racing through Kent to the stage finish in Brighton.

Representatives of Kent and Medway councils were at the launch in Paris on Thursday.

'Significant impact'

The Kent route will pass through Dartford, Medway, Maidstone, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Ashford, before the stage finish against the backdrop of Canterbury Cathedral.

Kent County Council said it had been estimated that the race through Kent and Medway would add approximately �16m to the local economy.

Chairman of the South East England Development (SEEDA), James Brathwaite, said: "We expect the economic impact to be significant - bars, cafes, restaurants and hotels will all benefit from the huge increase in visitors."

In Medway, which will host three sprint sections of the race, Councillor Jane Chitty, said: "This will very much put Medway on the map, and rightly so."