Tourism Minister Wayne Furbert has confirmed the termination of sponsorship by the Department of Tourism of the Bermuda Magic Show at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.The department “entered into a contract with the local group who planned to put on more than 100 shows between June and November”.Mr Furbert said: “Although there was a very successful launch in early June, the department became concerned following the initial show about the lack of attendance and the cancellation of later performances.”After hearing that the event was cancelled several times a letter was sent to the promoters “advising that sponsorship would be discontinued”.The Minister said the decision to terminate sponsorship was “regrettable”, but that it was “made in the best interest of spending Government funds prudently to ensure maximum return on investment”.Mr Furbert added that “contractual agreements were not honoured leaving the department little choice but to end the agreement”.“The Government has listened to the people over the years — locals and visitors alike — about the need for local entertainment,” said Mr Furbert.“Government responded to the demand by sponsoring local entertainment.“For 2012, the Department of Tourism was approached by a local group who wanted to provide a signature event this year.“This group had several years of entertainment experience, including an excellent series of performances in 2011, and a decision was made to sponsor the show,” he said.