AT the Tourism Month proclamation signing ceremony earlier this week, Marianas Visitors Authority board vice chair Gloria C. Cavanagh asked CNMI community members to familiarize themselves with the history of frequented sites around the island.
MVA board vice chair Gloria Cavanagh speaks on Tuesday in the governor’s conference room.
Photo by K-Andrea Evarose S. Limol
“We should familiarize ourselves with what we have as a product,” she said.
Everyone in the CNMI, she noted, is a part of that product.
“Tourism is everybody’s business,” she added.
Cavanagh said in addition to the tourism sites being revitalized, there also needs to be a revitalization among the people in knowing “the product.”
“[I challenge] the community to go out and learn what our product really is because, again, tourism is everybody’s business…. We must know that we are the Marianas, and the Marianas is ‘Marianas Strong.’”
Cavanagh likewise encouraged the CNMI community to participate in events lined up in honor of Tourism Month which is May.
MVA will hold an essay contest with the theme, “Power of Travel: Covid-19 Impact and Tourism Recovery in the Marianas.”
High school students are invited to describe how Covid-19 has impacted the Marianas tourism community, as well as share their thoughts on how the Marianas should move forward with tourism recovery.
Entries must be in Microsoft Word format, not exceeding 600 words, and must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 25, 2021 to communityprojects@mymarianas.com
Entries must include the student’s name, grade, school and email address.
Winners will be contacted via email and will be announced on the official MVA Facebook page (www.facebook.com/VisitTheMarianas) at 12 p.m. on May 31, 2021.
Prizes are $300 for first place, $200 for second place, and $100 for third place.
The contest is open to all public and private school high school students in the Marianas.
By entering, contestants agree to allow MVA to use their name, image, and essay for promotional purposes, and a parental consent form must be attached.
Consent forms are downloadable under “Events” on the official MVA Facebook page.
On Rota, Marianas Youth Welcome All Visitors Enthusiastically, or MY WAVE, students will join the MVA in beach cleanups around the island.
The “Simply Clean and Green and Mission NOT Impossible” cleanup was held on Tinian on Thursday, in which the public helped beautify tourist sites with the MVA.
A photo competition, “My Favorite Island Treasure Glimpses,” will also take place this month on Tinian. The competition invites people to take photos and come up with clever captions of attractions on the island.
The CNMI community will have a chance to win Tourism Month t-shirts and gift cards by correctly answering tourism-related trivia questions on Power 99 and KSPN.
On May 22, a “Walk for Tourism” will be held on Saipan, free to all registrants.
The first 100 registrants will receive a Tourism Month t-shirt.
Participants are encouraged to wear tourism and travel-inspired costumes to win prizes.
Then, on May 28, a “Tourist for a Day” educational field trip to beaches and cultural and historical sites will be held to educate the youth through firsthand experience of how tourism affects everyone on the islands, as well as the importance of preserving these areas.
The following day, May 29, the Japan-Saipan Travel Association will be hosting a cleanup at 10 a.m. at the Last Command Post in Marpi.
The Hafa Adai/Tirow Pledge program will be launched this month.
Companies, organizations, and individuals are invited to commit to take more responsibility to develop, promote, and support the Hafa Adai/Tirow Spirit in the Marianas.
Taking the pledge would mean uniting in the preservation and promotion of the Chamorro and Carolinian languages, culture and traditions by using the languages, indigenous images and artwork; being educated on historical sites; and more.
For more information, visit the official MVA Facebook page, or contact MVA community projects specialist Jack Arranda at 664-3200/1 or communityprojects@mymarianas.com
