The Marianas Visitors Authority board and managers meet at MVA’s office on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
JEJU Air will launch a twice-weekly flight service from Busan, South Korea, to Saipan starting next month, Dec. 20 to Feb. 25, 2025, Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Christopher Concepcion told reporters after an MVA board meeting on Friday
“That’s huge news and great news for the tourism industry — an additional airlift. Jeju Air will also resume the second daily flight on Dec. 8. So, that will make their operations twice daily from Incheon and then twice weekly from Busan,” Concepcion said.
He said the Busan flight service has a 189-seat capacity and is estimated to bring 3,000 passengers to Saipan during the two-month winter period.
“We’re pumping in some marketing dollars for this flight so that, ultimately, the goal is to make these flights happen all year round. Right now, they’re seasonal, but the goal of any destination is to have daily, year-round direct flights from the source markets,” Concepcion added.
He thanked Hana Tours, Leaders Tour, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, Coral Ocean Resort, and Kensington Saipan for making the flight service possible.
“They are collaborating to make these flights happen. So, it’s a great partnership between MVA and stakeholders in the market,” he added.
The CNMI tourism industry, which has yet to recover from the Covid-19 restrictions implemented in 2020, now relies heavily on the South Korean market. There are still not enough tourists from Japan or China to help revive the CNMI’s primary industry.
