A quick Internet search shows how strongly the natural environment has influenced the tourism industry in recent years. There has been a surge of eco-tourism programs from continental and island destinations alike to meet this increasing demand.
While “green living” was a way of life for generations past in the Northern Marianas who caught dinner straight from the sea outside their door, it’s obvious that continuing our stewardship of this few hundred square miles of land in our archipelago is also the way of the future — to sustain ourselves and our tourism industry.
“While there is need to offer potential visitors new products and attractions in our destination, the environmental beauty of our islands — especially our clear waters — will always be a key selling point,” said Perry Tenorio, managing director of the Marianas Visitors Authority.
Last fiscal year about one in six visitors to the Northern Marianas came specifically to dive. Popular scuba spots on Saipan include the Grotto, repeatedly voted a top Cavern dive by the Japanese diving community; and Laulau Bay, a shore dive available year round and known for it’s abundance of green sea turtles. On Rota, diving hotspots include the Blue Hole (Senhanon Cave) and the Japanese Shoun Maru shipwreck. On Tinian, divers are drawn to Dump Coke for World War II treasures and to twin corals for natural wildlife wonders. Divers come here especially because of the water clarity.
Managaha has earned international recognition for the Northern Marianas with several consecutive awards as Best Beach & Snorkeling Spot at Japan’s annual Marine Diving Fair. This year, Managaha was ranked third on Yahoo Travel Japan’s must-see ranking of Best Beaches in the World.
Aside from diving and snorkeling, MVA promotes the islands with a number of annual signature events that are dependent on clean waters. These include the Xterra Saipan championships, the Tinian Turquoise Blue Triathlon & Reef Swim, and the Rota Blue Triathlon.
MVA said these signature events attract hundreds of off-island visitors each year and provide the Northern Marianas with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free media exposure.
“We are graced with some of the best visibility in the world, so we must try to preserve it to keep the divers coming. That means watching what we do on shore that affects our lagoon waters.”
In January, MVA will host at more media groups visiting the Northern Marianas on familiarization, or FAM, tours.
As with many FAM itineraries, planned stops include many of our most famous attractions which will be covered in the media’s print, broadcast, or internet stories.
Clean and green makes the location photogenic and newsworthy. It is up to us to keep these sites pristine.
Given its influence on Northern Marianas’ tourism, green living is also a priority for a number of MVA member companies, including at least one completely reliant on the waters’ high visibility and rich marine environment.
Pacific Subsea offers submarine rides in air-conditioned comfort in Saipan’s lagoon.
The submarine cruises by beautiful corals, schools of tropical fish, and historic sunken wrecks and is powered with quiet and non-polluting electric engines.
According to proprietor Erick Van Der Mas, the company’s support for green living extends on-shore, too.
“We have painted the walls and roofs of our offices reflective white. This results in less air-conditioning costs and also helps reduce global warming,” Van Der Mas said.
He intends for his company to do more to become eco-friendly.
“We are also planning to run our generators partly on biodiesel as soon as our supplier is ready,” he said. “Looking further ahead, we want to install solar panels and use our old submarine batteries to store solar power for our office electricity use, like lighting and computers.”
Whether you are a boat owner cleaning your bilge with a biodegradable product, a farmer protecting our hillside drainages or a family packing their trash and recycling after a beach picnic, everyone can help support Northern Marianas’ tourism by taking steps to live green and to help keep our islands clean.
