By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE number of visitors who visited the islands last month fell by 6 percent, barely a month after the CNMI recorded the first positive growth this fiscal year, 2007.
In February, the overall tourist arrival rate went up by 2.05 percent to 37,990.
But the Marianas Visitors Authority said only 33,606 tourists visited the islands in March, compared to 35,768 in March 2005.
The downtrend was again attributed to fewer flights serving the Japan - Saipan route with Japan Airlines no longer flying regularly between the destinations since late 2005.
MVA Managing Director Perry Tenorio said Japan, the main market of the local tourism industry, continues to be negatively affected by JAL’s pullout.
“Japan showed an 11 percent decrease for the month of March. A total of 21,685 visitors arrived from Japan in March 2007 compared to 24,309 in the same month last year. The continued decline is a direct reflection of reduced airline service out of the Japan market into the CNMI,” said Tenorio in MVA’s monthly arrivals statement to the media.
“Japan Airlines discontinued its daily service to the CNMI in 2005 and Northwest Airlines discontinued its daily service from Osaka in 2006. Most recently, Northwest Airlines announced the discontinuation of its nighttime flights out of Narita,” he added.
South Korea, the second largest tourism market of the CNMI, on the other hand, continues to post positive growth for the sixth straight month since the fiscal year 2007 began in Sept. 2006.
Tenorio said tourist arrivals from South Korea jumped by 32 percent to 6,271 last month from a low of 4,745 in March 2006.
“This continued growth is attributed to the continued marketing efforts in the Korea market as well as the additional flights added by Asiana Airlines,” he said.
China, the next biggest potential market of the CNMI, however, posted a 35 percent decline in March mainly due to limited flights between Saipan and China.
“This decline is attributed to the temporary suspension of charter flights from Shanghai and Beijing China. In March 2007, there were only two flights per week coming in from Guanghzhou, China,” he said.
“We are in critical times. The entire community is affected by the airline crisis out of Japan. Without additional air service out of Japan, we expect to continue to see our arrivals decline an thus increased hardship for all businesses on our islands. We continue to meet with every possible carrier in order to increase the number of seats out of Japan into the CNMI,” Tenorio added.