(MVA) — According to the Marianas Visitors Authority, arrivals to Saipan, Tinian and Rota grew 1,234% percent to 2,482 visitors in November 2021, compared to 186 visitors received in November 2020.
While the figure shows a marked recovery in arrivals as a result of the Tourism Resumption Investment Plan implemented by MVA in July 2021, it is still a significant decrease from 39,717 visitors received in November 2020 before the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating a continued challenging road ahead.
Almost all visitors in November arrived from South Korea, the Marianas’ largest source market prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2,127 visitors arriving compared to only five visitors in November 2020.
Also, the Marianas received 167 visitors from Guam, 149 visitors from the U.S., and a combined 39 additional visitors from all other destinations in November.
While the Marianas has seen declining demand from South Korea in December and January due to the Omicron variant and other factors, MVA and its tourism partners are optimistic about the rebound of the market in late January during the Lunar New Year holiday period and beyond. The Marianas is expecting approximately 5,000 passengers via Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air, and T’Way from Jan. 27 to Feb. 28, 2022.
