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GARY CHUN / GCHUN@STARADVERTISER.COM
Fans showed their appreciation at Sunday's Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium. After being away for a year, the NFL All-Star Game returned to Hawaii and generated $28.15 million in visitor spending as well as $3.07 million in state taxes. The NFC beat the AFC 55-41.
A Pro Bowl Committee comprising Hawaii business and community leaders has been announced by the Hawaii Tourism Authority in partnership with the National Football League.
The committee is led by Dr. Edison Miyawaki, a local business leader and limited partner in the Cincinnati Bengals football team.
Its other 48 members include executives from many industry sectors in Hawaii, such as Rick Blangiardi and John Fink from KGMB-TV, KHNL-TV and KFVE-TV; former University of Hawaii Athletic Director Hugh Yoshida, and chef-restaurateurs Alan Wong and Roy Yamaguchi.
The committee will develop and implement programs for Pro Bowl Week and Game Day, Jan. 27, 2013, to increase attendance and create a better experience for those who participate.
The 2012 Pro Bowl attracted 48,423 attendees including 18,873 visitors, contributing $25.3 million in visitor spending and $2.8 million in tax revenues. Pro Bowl Week events generated an estimated $4 million in additional local economic activity, while annual NFL charitable donations exceeded $100,000 in 2012. The Pro Bowl broadcast also reached 12.5 million viewers nationwide, the HTA said, in a statement.
The Pro Bowl was played in Hawaii from 1980 through 2009. In 2010 the NFL moved the game to one week prior to the Super Bowl, and it was played in Miami. At players’ insistence he game returned to Hawaii in 2011 and earlier this year.
