A group of 7th graders of Tanapag Middle School take a commemorative photo with Marianas Visitors Authority Community Projects Coordinator Sherman Santos, right, following the educational outreach of MVA and the Marianas Tourism Education Council at the school on April 21, 2025. Students won Marianas-branded giveaways for sharing what they learned about The Marianas tourism economy and how they can support the industry.
MVA photo
(MVA) — The Marianas Tourism Education Council and Marianas Visitors Authority visited Tanapag Middle School on April 21, 2025, for another round of educational outreach about The Marianas tourism industry.
The MTEC-MVA team engaged 7th graders with basic facts about The Marianas tourism economy, visitor profiles and activities, the work of MVA, and how and why students can help support the industry.
MVA Community Projects Coordinator Sherman Santos, who has previously worked at two globally branded hotels in Saipan, joined the outreach team this year.
“After working in the hospitality industry for a little over 19 years, I understand how important tourism is for us as a community. Now, working with MVA, I get to help share just how important tourism is with children of various ages,” said Santos. “By engaging the students early, we get to open up their minds to different ways they can play an important role with our visitors. Whether it is greeting our visitors with a smile, keeping our islands clean, or simply expressing our culture, they will develop those habits and pass them on to other friends and families.”
With this year’s theme, “Planting Peace – Manånånum Pås- Ffóttol llol Tipiyeew,” the annual school outreach targets 4th graders, 7th graders, and 10th graders on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota with current information and activities highlighting The Marianas’ primary economic driver, the hospitality industry.
MTEC is a non-profit organization whose mission is three-fold: to foster community understanding and support of the visitor industry; to educate the public, especially school students, about the value, social benefits, and economic contributions made to the community by the visitor industry; and to instill, improve, and promote the “Hafa Adai-Tirow” hospitality spirit throughout the island community.
For more information about MTEC, contact MVA Community Projects Coordinator Jack Aranda at communityprojects@mymarianas.com or (670) 664-3200/1.
