HANMI chairman Nick Nichikawa said they have noted a 50 percent decrease in hotel occupancy rate as of the second quarter of this year.
“We have anticipated this decrease,” he added, citing the H1N1 virus pandemic as one of the primary factors.
The possibility of losing Chinese and Russian tourists when the federal government takes over local immigration is another major concern, he said.
HANMI is collaborating with the government and the Marianas Visitors Authority to come up with a solution, he added.
Local hotels are continuously developing strategies to promote the island, he said, but Hawaii and Guam are “tough competitions.”
Fewer flights to the CNMI mean fewer visitors and the global economic is also compounding the local tourism industry’s problems, Nichikawa said.
