THE CNMI may find it difficult to boost its tourism industry while implementing a policy that restricts the entry of potential tourists, industry leaders said.
The CNMI is restricting the entry of citizens from 67 nations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The restrictions, imposed by the federal government, affect 26 countries from the Middle East as well as certain Asian nations including the Philippines, Thailand and China.
Based on the federal policy, no citizens from these countries would be allowed to board planes bound for the CNMI unless they possess authorization documents.
Tourists from these places are required to obtain authorization to board, or ATB, which should be processed four weeks prior to the trip.
The ATB is issued by the secretary of labor and immigration.
The ATB issue, according to Lt. Gov. Diego T. Benavente, is a major concern being raised by investors such as airlines wanting to make direct flights to Saipan.
Benavente recently headed a delegation to Manila to persuade Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to start a direct flight service to Saipan.
“ATB is really a major factor. It’s an issue with both airlines. It’s going to be an issue with other markets,” Benavente said in an interview with Variety.
The government is now looking at alternative ways to attract more tourists from different places without compromising U.S. safety measures.
Benavente said he also hopes to explore the possibility of having a special arrangement to allow the entry of Filipino tourists to the CNMI.
This arrangement would be similar to the arrangement with China Southern Airlines which flies biweekly to Tinian.
“The charter flight (from China) is a special arrangement. So we’re hoping to have a similar arrangement with PAL and Cebu Pacific,” he said.
Another option would be to ask the federal government to exempt certain countries, like the Philippines, from the current restrictions.
“We’re also hoping that at some point, we would have some understanding with the federal government on their list, so we could remove the restrictions,” he said.
Benavente believes that bringing in more airlines would help boost the tourism industry.
Having direct flights would also result, among others, in reduced fares which would eventually translate to more passengers.
“I honestly feel that if we have better fares, more people will be willing to travel. By reducing fare, they would automatically increase the number of passengers,” Benavente said.
There are over 19,000 Filipinos in the CNMI.
PAL has agreed to fly to Guam beginning June 21, but has not committed to a Saipan route.
Meantime, Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos Salas said an official from PAL may visit Saipan during the airline’s maiden flight to Guam.
“An official may make a side trip here. Right now, we’re giving them all the information they need to assess the viability of the Saipan route,” Salas said.
PAL intends to conduct an analysis of the Saipan market.
In an earlier discussion, PAL said it wanted to explore the possibility of picking up Saipan-bound passengers from China.
