“La Moda Isla is closing its doors. Shareholders decided not to continue funding in this dire tourism decline from swine flu, Korean won depreciation and other uncertainties. The shareholders are working with the building owner to allow him to continue business with staff and improvements made by La Moda Isla under his building name,” he said in a statement.
La Moda, a 12,000-ft. shopping complex next to the DFS Galleria, was opened in January this year.
The store offers souvenir items, clothes, cosmetics, among other merchandises.
Ramsey said although the local tourism industry is already over 30 years old, it still has much to learn.
“The CNMI competes in Japan primarily with Guam and Hawaii as one of the three U.S. tropical destinations in Asia. CNMI’s tourism peak successes in 1993-97 were focused on being the closest destination from Japan at a time when there were few Koreans, no Russians or Chinese tourist in the CNMI — only Japanese,” he said.
He said shifting the CNMI’s marketing strategy as the closest destination escape compared to Guam and Hawaii as well as highlighting its unique qualities as an island-resort can help revive the islands’ ailing tourism industry.
“The CNMI’s past successes were primarily from taking market share from Hawaii and Guam. With tourism the only remaining large economy of the CNMI, dusting off the shelf our past successes and trying to compete as the honest, closest destination escape would result in increases in tourism numbers,” he said.
“The CNMI is much better off working with hungry marketing companies than using the same advertising and marketing companies as the much larger, better funded Hawaii and Guam visitor bureaus,” he added.
