By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Benigno R. Fitial will fly to Tokyo, Japan next month to meet with the members of the tourism task force he created last year.
Press Secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. yesterday said the governor will use his personal money for the trip, and will be accompanied by officials of the Marianas Visitor Authority.
Fitial earlier signed a memorandum banning “unnecessary travel” by executive branch officials and personnel.
“The governor will be at the meeting in Tokyo at his personal expense. The agenda is to talk about the developments in the government’s 5-year strategic plan,” Reyes said.
In August last year, Fitial created the task force, whose members are officials of Northwest Airlines and Japanese companies, to formulate programs, funding, and marketing plans affecting tourism in the Commonwealth.
Yesterday, MVA chairman Jerry Tan and managing director Perry Tenorio met with the governor and Lt. Gov. Timothy Villagomez to discuss power-point presentation about the Japan market, Reyes said.
He said the meeting was the first held by MVA officials following the governor’s return from a medical checkup in California.
“The governor wants to keep track on the major progress of the strategies that are cited in the plan. Like in today’s meeting, presentations basically focused on the plans and motivations for the Japan market which is still the CNMI’s largest tourism market,” he said.
The governor’s five-year strategic plan aims to bring in 1 million tourists a year in five years.
In fiscal year 2005, tourist arrivals totaled a little over 500,000.
In fiscal year 2006, the government expects the number to be down to over 400,000 due to the pullout of Japan Airlines last October 2005.
The short-term goal of the task force is to achieve the governor’s target of a 25-percent increase in Japanese tourist arrivals in fiscal year 2007.