THE Best of the Marianas people’s choice awards celebrate the CNMI’s finest, from the best dining and drinking spots, to services and natural attractions.
Residents and visitors all got to nominate in over a hundred categories and vote for the top establishments that eventually emerged as the gold, silver, or bronze winners.
Extraordinary prizes
While everyone is excitedly waiting for the announcement of the contest’s winners, lucky voters also walked away with some extraordinary prizes, thanks to an incentive program created to encourage voting. Thanks to Marianas Variety’s partnership with the Marianas Visitors Authority, lucky voters won various prizes, including a roundtrip flight for two to Japan and a staycation package for two to Saipan, Tinian, or Rota.
For five weeks starting in July, four lucky voters were selected via an online sweepstakes generator to win $50 cash or business vouchers.
Valerie Camacho, one of Week 2’s raffle winners, was pumped to win a gift certificate for Aqua Resort Club, saying it was a “nice birthday present!” She asked to get a business voucher from Aqua Resort Club so she could try their seafood dinner buffet.
The other winners were also grateful to both Marianas Variety and the Marianas Visitors Authority for this incentive program. The other raffle winners were Nanette Palacios, Motono Higuchi, Jaylene Sanchez, Doyi Kim, Mary Grace Delos Santos, Jerome Manzon, Rowella Aligora, Willanie Reyes, Jun Pineda, Jolynn Wabol, Francisco Deleon Guerrero, Shaun Iguel, and Leuevalynn Mafnas.
Grand raffle winners
After the voting period closed on Aug. 25, everyone who voted online or submitted authenticated print ballot was pooled for the grand raffle draw, which was livestreamed on Marianas Variety’s Facebook page on Sept. 16.
Two lucky voters, Andrea Tabora and Hazel Kwarciany, won the staycation package and the roundtrip flights to Japan, respectively. They were picked from a combined pool of 5,593 offline and online voters.
Kwarciany, who is an underwriter for a local insurance company, can finally start planning her itinerary to Japan, thanks to her “Saipan to Narita flight for two via United Airlines” prize.
Kwarciany is excited about winning the trip to Japan. It would be her first time to visit that country. “I haven’t been to Japan, but it’s always been on my bucket list since forever,” she said. “We’d love to visit popular places like Tokyo, Osaka, or Kyoto, but anywhere in Japan would be nice for us.” She particularly wants to see Mt. Fuji.
She also looks forward to the announcement of the winners of the Best in the Marianas contest, since that would give her some ideas on some places to try, especially the restaurants. She did that last year after the Best of the Marianas 2023 contest. “We tried to go to some of the gold winners and try their businesses,” she added.
The other winner, Tabora, gets to choose which of the CNMI’s three major islands to explore as part of her prize, which also includes the roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodation, and car rental.
Like Kwarciany, Tabora is most excited about the winners in the food categories of the Best of the Marianas contest, saying food can bring people together. “Highlighting our culinary talents is a wonderful celebration of our culture.”
While Tabora is still deciding on where she wants to spend her staycation, she reflected on being a resident of Saipan. “I truly love the Marianas for its simplicity. It feels like an escape from the overwhelming hustle and bustle of the outside world. There’s something special about the tranquility here that helps me connect with what really matters.”
Community impact
One of the main goals of the Best of the Marianas program is to engage community members, visitors, and stakeholders, and offer businesses an opportunity to promote themselves.
In fact, Tabora learned about the program from business-owner friends and places she’s visited the past months. “I first learned about the local business competition through some of the nominees. I think this initiative is a fantastic way to boost and encourage businesses in our community.”
Doyi Kim, a business owner and one of the raffle winners herself, said recognizing the winners of the Best of the Marianas can serve as a motivational boost for local businesses and individuals to continue delivering high standards or service. Kim’s group of companies under P&A owns Winner’s Laundry, one of the top three winners in its category.
Jerome Manzon, another giveaway recipient, echoed this. “This is a very great opportunity for businesses, because it can boost customer attraction to the place and their services.” He cites Himawari as just one of the few stores he likes to visit, particularly on a Sunday where he can choose from a variety of ready-made Japanese meals, snacks, and other products.
For Week 3 raffle winner Willanie Reyes, the contest helps make family decisions a bit quicker. When they know which ones are the best, “choosing places to go and enjoy with family should be easier.”
MVA’s Managing Director Chris Concepcion observes that many of the contest’s winners proudly display and promote their award-winning status to attract more business, “and rightly so.”
“A lot of feedback from visitors in particular is that the Best of the Marianas program essentially shows them the ’local favorites’ and encourages them to ‘think local, act local, be local.’ Visitors nowadays want that local experience to be a part of their overall travel experience, and the Best of the Marianas offers that in a small and unique way,” he added.
When asked about how MVA’s mission of promoting the Marianas as a premier destination aligns with the goals of the program, Concepcion said, “The contest engages the community in helping the MVA highlight for our visitors the top recommendations in dining, accommodations, beaches, tour sites, water sports, and much, much more. Today’s travelers want to engage with local communities, and the Best of the Marianas allows our visitors to better see Saipan, Tinian, and Rota through the eyes of the people who know best.”
Marianas Variety President Amier Younis is happy to hear that businesses are starting to get competitive and make the program their own.
“We’re glad to see ads from businesses promoting themselves, getting people’s attention, and basically using the program to their advantage. We’re excited to share with you the results. The community had to warm up a little bit to the program last year, when we first held it, so we are really pleased with the traction for the program this year,” he added.
For MVA, voting for the Best of the Marianas is one, small personal way each person can help tourism by helping point the CNMI’s visitors in the direction of an engaging and enjoyable experience, Concepcion said.
“We invite everyone to consider other ways they can support tourism, as well [as share] our hafa adai and tirow spirit with visitors, tagging #TheMarianas and #VisitTheMarianas on social media, ensuring we keep our beaches, roadways, and village litter-free, and more. Collectively, these actions help highlight what is truly the most beautiful and Best of the Marianas, beginning with our people.”
