Super Bowl 50: Touchdown for tourism on the Central Coast
It is the golden anniversary for the Super Bowl and it is also a golden opportunity to bring in big tourism money to the Central Coast.
Central Coast leaders are hoping Super Bowl 50 fans spend some time exploring the Monterey Peninsula before and after the big event.
“If you think about it, we have amazing views from the Pinnacles to the ocean side really we have amazing experiences. If you’re in the area for the Super Bowl it is kind of irresistible to not come and be a part of it,” said Rob O’Keefe, Chief Marketing Officer with the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Monta Potter with the Carmel Chamber of Commerce told KION they do expect an economic impact from the big game.
“There is so much to do here. You can usually just park your car and walk to the beach, walk to wine tasting, walk to restaurants and it’s charming and it’s different from San Francisco,” said Potter.
Chef Brian Kearns at La Bicyclette restaurant in Carmel says they are ready for the fans.
“We expect the pizzas to be popular and we also have some dry aged rib-eye steaks we are dry aging downstairs that are going to be ready to go for Super Bowl weekend,” said Kearns.
Pebble Beach is also preparing for a busy week and weekend.
“We’re filling The Lodge, The Inn, Casa Palmero with Super Bowl visitors and the golf course will be filled with Super Bowl visitors,” said RJ Harper, EVP of Golf & Retail for Pebble Beach Company.
The Pebble Beach Company is even offering fans special packages through its partnership with the NFL andtheSuper Bowl 50 host committee.
“We wanted to let thousands of fans coming in that yes Pebble Beach, you can play it and you can stayhere,” said Tim Ryan, VP Global Business Development, Pebble Beach Company.
When Pebble Beach is busy, it benefits the entire peninsula.
“When they get here to Pebble, we know they’re going to take advantage of wine tasting rooms in Carmel and whale watching in Monterey and dining experiences we have on the peninsula,” said Ryan.
The game is bringing in money to a peninsula that depends on tourism to keep its economy thriving.
“It’s a 2 1/2 billion dollar industry so every opportunity we can get to get more people here and staying longer and doing more is awesome for us and the Super Bowl being here just provided an opportunity for people to see and to experience or want to experience what we have here,” said O’Keefe.
To purchase a Pebble Beach package click here
To learn more about the events planned for Super Week on the peninsula click here
