Its official… the Pro Bowl is not returning to Hawai‘i next year.
The National Football League exercised its “opt out’ clause in the contract with the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority and is relocating the event to Florida. NFL officials said the decision was not related to funding, Aloha Stadium, or Hawai‘i’s ability to host the event.
But there’s a silver lining. Hawai‘i Tourism Authority officials say the five million dollars budgeted to host the game will instead be spent for promotion and local events. Leslie Dance is the Vice President of marketing and product development for the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority. She says it’s a disappointment, but opens the door for other HTA projects.
Dance says more funding will go to promote emerging tourist markets like China, and to sponsor community, cultural, and sporting events in the future.