This year Golden Week, a collection of four national holidays in Japan, will fall between April 29 and May 5. During this high-travel period, Asiana Airlines will operate five charter flights to the Northern Marianas from Narita, four from Osaka and one from Hiroshima during the holiday. Delta Airlines will also operate two flights from Narita.
In total, the charters will make 2,947 more seats available from Japan during the week: 1,770 from Narita, 1,000 from Osaka and 177 from Hiroshima.
“This is good news,” said Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Perry Tenorio. “There is obviously consumer demand to visit the Northern Marianas during the Golden Week holiday, and these charters are a travel industry response to meet that demand.”
MVA said it has been working closely with travel agents and Asiana Airlines to have charter flights from Osaka during peak periods from early April to mid July, when the airline will suspend regular flights.
The charter flights during Hiroshima follow a formal request from MVA to Asiana to continue charter flights from the city following the success of two initial charters at the end of December 2009.
“MVA has been making continuous efforts to have more charter flights operate from this market,” said Tenorio. “We’re pleased that Asiana Hiroshima has agreed to provide additional charters during the Golden Week period.”
Golden Week also marks the beginning of Tourism Month in the Northern Marianas, highlighted by the popular Taste of the Marianas International Food Festival and Beer Garden at American Memorial Park on Saipan.
