Launched in 2006, the five-year strategic plan initially targeted a total of one million visitor arrivals by 2010.
From 2006 to 2010, however, actual arrivals have declined.
Tenorio, in his presentation yesterday before the Saipan Rotary Club members, said that from the beginning of the fiscal year 2010, the arrival data from Japan indicated a downward trend.
The arrivals in Oct. 2009 were down by 47 percent; by 40 percent in November; by 24 percent in December; by 19 percent in Jan. 2010; and by 13 percent in February.
It increased in March by 15 percent before dropping to 26 percent last month.
Tenorio attributed the declining numbers to the global economic turndown and the fluctuation of exchange rate.
Now, he admitted, “it is impossible to set a target.”
He added, “There are a lot of global happenings that are beyond our control so it is really difficult to make any educated guess on the number of arrivals we can expect.”
He said part of the new federal funding will be used for conducting survey which Tenorio said MVA hasn’t done in the past seven years.
Updating MVA’s strategic initiative will be challenging, he added.
He noted the declining confidence among the travel industry players due to the “unstable air service” to the CNMI.
Due to suspension of the Nagoya flights, the air seats per day declined by 44 percent last month, Tenorio said.
But Nagoya, he added, will be “back on line” this June.
Except for February and March when there was an increase in air seats by 2 and 28 percent respectively, the number of air seats from Japan has declined since the beginning of FY 2010, he added.
Another challenge is MVA’s limited marketing funds, Tenorio said.
Compared to other tourist destination in the Pacific like Australia, Guam and Hawaii, the CNMI is spending less on promotion, he added.
According to Tenorio, Australia is spending $12 million; Hawaii, $9 million; Guam, $6 million; and the CNMI, $1 million only.
“We are being outspent,” he said.
MVA is hoping that the cash-strapped government will consider giving the agency more funding, but if this is not possible Tenorio said they will find other means to promote the islands.
From the 500,000 arrivals originally targeted in its strategic initiative, MVA now estimates 205,801 tourists from
Japan in FY 2010.
The 150,000 projected arrivals from Korea are now estimated to be 126,286 for the same period.
//
