(MVA) — Arrivals to Saipan, Tinian and Rota grew 1,603% percent to 4,155 visitors in March 2022, compared to 244 visitors received in March 2021, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority.
The figure is an overall decrease of 88% from 35,295 visitors received in March 2019, marking another moth of small gains in a continued challenging road ahead for the recovery of the Marianas tourism economy.
A majority of visitors in March arrived from South Korea, the Marianas’ largest source market prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2,832 visitors arriving. This compares to February 2021, when the Marianas received only one visitor from South Korea.
The Marianas has 12 flights operated by five airlines arriving weekly from Seoul and Busan. As of March 21 all inbound passengers to Korea are no longer required to quarantine, which is expected to further drive travel demand.
MVA is also working with major travel industry partners in Japan to reboot the market with direct flights this summer. Japan has recently eased quarantine requirements for returning residents, although overall demand for international travel remains low.
The Marianas received 681 visitors from Guam, 515 visitors from U.S. and a combined 127 additional visitors from all other destinations in March 2022.
