THE Torres-Palacios administration said the date for the reopening of the local tourism industry is still a moving target because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the CNMI continues to look at what it can offer its clientele — mainly the Asia market, such as South Korea and Japan — as it continues to market itself as one of the safest places on earth, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres said.
He added that he has a task force assigned specifically to look into air transportation and see what kind of incentives and programs can work.
The challenge of visitors enduring a 14-day quarantine remains an issue, he said.
Still, one of the CNMI’s advantages is the rising number of community members who are getting the Covid-19 vaccine, the governor said.
“We need a certain percentage of our community to be vaccinated,” he added. “Tourism is our only industry. Tourism is everyone’s business.”
But he also reiterated the need to set a reasonable and sound date to reopen tourism while addressing public-health concerns.
Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, for his part, said, “We cannot really be very specific on the re-opening date. What I can say is that the governor’s economic advisors are looking at everything and trying to plan on when we can re-open.”
He noted that Hawaii’s tourism industry has reopened because its main clients are mainly U.S. mainland tourists who aren’t required to undergo quarantine upon their return to their home states.
For its part, the CNMI’s main clientele is the Asian market which still requires a 14-day quarantine.
“That’s putting a damper on what we really can do and when we can really open up,” Palacios said.
He said the CNMI needs to sit down with tour agencies in South Korea and Japan and find out what model will work best for all parties.
“We are aggressively planning for a comeback. But again, we can’t really set a specific date,” he added.
