Maui Invitational will not be held in Hawaii for the second year

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LAHAINA (HawaiiNewsNow) – The Maui Invitational will not be held in the location of the same name for the second year in a row – another major blow to the county’s economy.

“It brought a lot of people into town and into the local shops down here on Front Street who normally wouldn’t come here. So yeah, it’s been kind of a disappointment two years in a row, “said Cool Cat Cafe Assistant General Manager Tiffany Quilty.

Instead, it moves about 3,000 miles east to Las Vegas.

Last year it was held in North Carolina.

Tournament organizers blamed the ongoing pandemic, travel restrictions and local meeting minutes in the state of Hawaii.

The classic is one of the county’s greatest attractions, drawing thousands of visitors and millions of dollars.

“Calculations have shown that since its inception in 1984, it has been a $ 190 million boost to the state’s economy. These dollars are very important because it means more local businesses can do business and more locals are employed, ”said Mufi Hannemann, CEO of the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association.

Local businesses like Cool Cat Cafe are afraid if events like this one go away for a long time, it’s hard to get them back.

“It’s expensive to have an event here on an island. I think the more you get them off the island, the more they’ll realize that they can do it in other places, ”Quilty said.

Hannemann called on the district and state officials to do “everything in their power” to bring the tournament back.

“Vegas is a sport hungry city. They know how to dress. It’s very appealing. So we have to set up our A-Game to make a strong statement that it has to be played on Maui … where it belongs, ”he said.

Copyright 2021 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

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