Today's Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is expected to bring in millions of dollars to the local economy. But indirect benefits of the nationally televised game are immeasurable because of the number of people socked in by snow and freezing weather who may be convinced to plan a Hawai'i vacation down the road.

The football game between the University of Hawai'i Warriors and tradition-rich Fighting Irish of Notre Dame should draw more than 44,000 through the Aloha Stadium turnstiles. Of that total, nearly 2,000 will be fans who bought tickets from the Indiana school.

The 2007 Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, which featured two Mainland teams, brought in just over $17 million, while the 2006 game between UH and Arizona State raised an estimated $11 million, according to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

While it's too soon to tell how much money this year's game will generate, the response by people outside Hawai'i who purchased tickets indicate that the economic impact could easily exceed the past two games.

"Within the first 24 hours (of announcing the game's matchup), we had tickets bought from 33 states, two provinces and the District of Columbia," said David Matlin, Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl executive director. "Now we're over 40 states and that's a pretty neat thing. I attribute that, obviously, to Notre Dame coming to the game and the excitement."

Matlin said yesterday that Notre Dame was "really close" to selling its allotment of 2,000 tickets and there was a yet-to-be-determined number of tickets sold on the Internet. That, along with an unusually large party of 300 that traveled with the team, means a large contingent of Fighting Irish fans.

"We know we're not a BCS bowl-game payout, but we do believe that the ambience of Hawai'i is a big advantage that we have and we can provide a first-class experience for the student-athletes that they can take home and send the message of aloha back," Matlin said.

THE AIRFARE FACTOR

Jill Walsh of Anthony Travel, which is the official travel agency for Notre Dame, said it's difficult to pinpoint the number of people from the Mainland who are here for the game because the school has a national fan base. Her agency brought in about 75 people, which she said is much lower than other Notre Dame road games.

Walsh blamed the late notice (Notre Dame was invited to the bowl game on Dec. 7) and the high cost of airfare.

"This is down considerably," Walsh said. "The interest level is there, it's just the airfare was a problem for a lot of people. And with the holidays, a lot of people don't want to travel on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve. We're assuming the economy is not helping this year either."

But Walsh said she has run into many Fighting Irish fans since she arrived here on Saturday and she expected a big turnout at today's game.

"There are still a lot of Notre Dame fans over here, so it's good. They're still supporting them. They're from all over the place," Walsh said.

Although the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl could generate more than $11 million, it isn't the largest money-maker for the state. By comparison, the 2008 NFL Pro Bowl contributed about $28 million to the local economy and the 2005 game drew $39 million, according to HTA figures.

The Honolulu Marathon continues to be the largest single revenue generator among Hawai'i's sporting events. The marathon has exceeded $100 million the past three years and although the number of entries was down this year, officials believe the economic impact could reach $100 million again because of the strength of the yen.

But unlike the marathon, today's Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl should have a national ESPN television audience of more than 2 million viewers. The bowl is the only football game broadcast on Christmas Eve and will be shown in prime time on the East Coast.

BEACHES VS. BLIZZARDS

With winter paralyzing much of the nation, the scenes of blue skies and warm beaches may be enough to entice people to the Islands.

"The day before Christmas being telecast back to the Mainland, which especially this year is in freezer mode? It's a great way to promote the Islands," said Mike Story, HTA sports manager. "I think a lot of people are going to watch it. They're going to be in their homes because they don't want to go outside and they're really going to look forward to the good game and the great weather."

Last year, the Boise State-East Carolina game ranked 28th among the 32 bowl games with 1.4 million households tuning in. But officials are projecting that could nearly triple this year because of the interest in Notre Dame. The game also will be televised in Japan.

Matlin said the live ESPN telecast is equivalent to a "three-hour infomercial" for Hawai'i.

"When someone's on the East Coast in 5-degree-below snow storms and they're watching a packed Aloha Stadium at 75 to 80 degrees, there's definitely an impact," Matlin said.