(MVA) — The Marianas Visitors Authority reports that visitor arrivals to the CNMI totaled 14,828 in January 2026, a 16% decrease compared to 17,744 visitors in January 2025.
The destination continues to wrestle with a drastic reduction in air seat capacity over the last seven years, dropping from approximately 760,000 air seats in FY 2018 to 250,000 in FY 2025, a 67% overall loss. This includes a 60% loss of air seats from the top source market of Korea over the period, largely due to airline strategic decisions, currency disadvantages, and fierce destination competition. Air seats are also reduced compared to pre-pandemic levels after a complete loss of flights from mainland China — once another top source market for the Marianas — under geopolitical changes with the U.S.
South Korea
South Korea remained the destination’s top visitor source market, with 10,367 arrivals in January 2026, a 13% decline from January 2025. The Marianas received 77 flights from Korea in January 2026 compared to 98 flights last January. Flight operations remain unstable, with lone air carriers Jeju Air and T’way Air frequently suspending or reducing flights over the last year and a half. Seasonal charters are helping to buoy the market during the winter season, with Air Busan operating twice weekly charter flights from Busan to Saipan and T’way Air operating twice weekly charters from Seoul Incheon to Saipan through Feb. 28.
Japan
Visitor arrivals from Japan reached 945 in January 2026 compared to 1,757 in January 2025, a 46% decrease reflecting last year’s arrival of a large number of Japanese citizens aboard a cruise liner last January.
Otherwise, the market has had five consecutive months of growth. United Airlines operates direct flights from Tokyo Narita to Saipan three times weekly.
China
Arrivals from China reached 1,508 in January compared to 1,962 arrivals a year ago, a 23% decrease compared to last year. The drop is attributed to Lunar New Year holiday travel commencing in January last year, compared to February in 2026. The load factor, or percentage of seats sold, on Hong Kong Airlines’ twice weekly direct flights from Hong Kong to Saipan remains healthy, and the market is anticipated to grow provided that the CNMI Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program continues without further interruption as experienced last year. EVS-TAP is a restricted sub-program of the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program that allows prescreened nationals of the People’s Republic of China to travel to the U.S. destination without a visa under specified conditions. Hong Kong Airlines is anticipated to double its flight service in May 2026. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, China comprised about 44% of visitors to the Marianas, with direct flights from multiple mainland cities. The stability of EVS-TAP is seen by many stakeholders as essential to the full revival of the market.
Other markets
Additional visitor arrivals in January included:
Guam: 676 visitors
United States: 1,006 visitors
Other markets (combined): 326 visitors
Philippine Airlines will commence twice weekly direct Manila-Saipan flights on March 29, 2026.
