DESCRIBED as “an island of hidden caves, covered in untamed jungle,” Saipan was included in the New York Times’ list of “52 Places to Love in 2021.”
Saipan was included in the New York Times’s “52 Places to Love in 2021.”
Photo by Junji Takasago/MVA
Meghan West, the author of the review on Saipan, is a geophysicist from Denver working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
While on island to look for World War II unexploded ordnance, she joined one of the island runs of the Saipan Hash House Harriers.
She said Saipan is only five miles wide and 12 miles long, but the runners showed her parts of the island that she never would have found herself.
“Runners took me boating, diving, hiking, camping, spelunking and golfing,” she wrote.
They saw a B-29 engine from a plane crash in the mountain, and a staircase cut into a cliff from the last Japanese command post, she added.
“Swimming in a lagoon that dropped toward the Marianas Trench, we marked how far we’d swum with the top halves of three submerged Sherman tanks — a door open, guns sticking out,” she said.
Marianas Visitors Authority acting chair Gloria Cavanagh said the NYT article is a “fantastic marketing tool” for the CNMI.
“This is our second recognition from a national publication. The first was from [the] National [Geographic], which named Rota as the number one place for wedding destinations,” she said.
“We remain one of the safest destinations in the world. Hopefully we will be able to market this with the travel bubble,” she said.
“The credit really goes to [Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation chief executive officer] Esther Muna and her team. They have done everything right when it came to the treatment of the pandemic,” she added.
She noted that the protocols set for this travel bubble was approved by Muna and her team in order to control risk of community spread.
Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Priscilla M. Iakopo, for her part, said: “We are so pleased to be recognized by the New York Times as one of their ‘52 Places to Love in 2021.’ Although we are small on the map, people who visit the Marianas are often surprised by the depth of our islands’ natural beauty, the diversity of our history and community, and the warmth of our people. The Marianas is a perfect place to explore and connect with nature, open our hearts and connect with others, and take time to unplug and connect with ourselves.”
Press Secretary Kevin Bautista said the New York Times article “speaks to the world-class beauty of our islands, the depiction of our environment by our community through social media and global marketing by MVA and Governor [Ralph DLG] Torres, and of course the promotion of the CNMI in several marketing channels as a Covid-19-free destination.”
He said the “proactive work and leadership of Governor Torres, CEO Muna, CHCC, and our Covid-19 Task Force and its Chairman Warren Villagomez have put the CNMI in a position to reopen tourism and begin to rebuild of our economy so that we can get our businesses back on their feet and our people back in jobs.”
Bautista added, “We’re proud to be living in one of the most beautiful places in the world, while also being one of the safest places from Covid-19. We look forward to continuing the great work so far to keep our islands safe and eventually back to normalcy.”
To view the New York Times article, go to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/travel/places-to-visit-vacation.html#saipan
