(MVA) — According to the Marianas Visitors Authority, arrivals to Saipan, Tinian and Rota grew 2,027% percent to 5,593 visitors in April 2022, compared to 263 visitors received in April 2021.
The figure, however, is an overall decrease of 86% from 39,663 visitors received in April 2020, marking another month of small gain in a continued challenging road ahead for the recovery of the Marianas tourism economy.
A majority of visitors in April arrived from South Korea, the Marianas’ largest source market prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 4,251 visitors arriving. This compares to April 2021, when there were no visitors at all from South Korea.
The Marianas now has 12 flights operated by five airlines arriving weekly from Seoul and Busan. As non-vaccinated children under the age of 12 are exempted from returning quarantine in Korea, beginning June 1 this change will allow families to more conveniently travel to the Marianas on summer vacation and holidays.
The Marianas received 29 visitors from Japan in April 2022, compared to only two visitors in April 2021. With the easing of quarantine requirements and other pandemic-related restrictions for returning residents to Japan, MVA is also working with major travel industry partners in Japan to develop a program to reboot the market with direct flights this summer. The program focuses on a media and travel agent familiarization group, a travel agent incentive program, press conferences and media interviews, sales calls, and consumer promotions designed to promote the Marianas as a destination of choice.
The Marianas also received 745 visitors from Guam, 420 visitors from U.S. and a combined 109 additional visitors from all other destinations in April.
