MISSION VALLEY — The Holiday Bowl is back in Mission Valley, and the post-season college football game is projected to bring $20 million to the local economy.
That's the forecast from Holiday Bowl CEO Mark Neville, who has been with the bowl for 34 years.
"The whole reason we do this is to drive tourism for San Diego using sports as a platform," Neville said. "The Holiday Bowl has been around since 1978 and generated over a billion dollars in economic benefit for the region. It’s also done upwards of 900,000 hotel nights."
The 45th annual Holiday Bowl pits Syracuse against Washington State. The game moved to Snapdragon Stadium after two years in Petco Park in downtown San Diego.
"When we were playing at Petco Park, it was a beautiful facility. And now here at Snapdragon Stadium, it's a pretty amazing place," he said.
Team 10 previously reported the event nearly went bankrupt after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled games in 2020 and 2021.
The bowl lost millions of dollars in ticket sales and sponsorships.
Neville said attendance also may be down compared to the last two years.
Yet, he said the game and other events like the parade in downtown San Diego attract thousands of tourists.
He said the bowl game fills hotel rooms during an off-peak period for tourism. And, he said San Diego — even on a cloudy day — is a pretty nice destination for fans of the two participating teams.
"I think it's a little colder in Syracuse, New York and Pullman, Washington right now," he said. "It's a great trip. I think San Diego, it's the best bowl destination in the country, and we have a great reputation for our community rolling out the red carpet."
It was in the 30s on Friday in both communities, while in the low 60s in San Diego.
He added that this year's game being on a Friday night could cause many fans to stay through the weekend.
"We anticipate we will have good numbers this year too. It’s still too early to tell, But, I envision we will have over $20 million in terms of economic impact in that range, give or take," he said. "Today is really a celebration of San Diego."
