Chris Concepcion, managing director of the Marianas Visitors Authority.
AS of Monday, Oct. 9, as Tropical Storm Bolaven approached the Marianas, there were about 1,551 tourists staying in the major hotels on Saipan, Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Chris Concepcion said.
He was at the Multi-Agency Coordinating Group meeting on Monday at the CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management where he spoke to reporters.
Concepcion said that as of Oct. 9, there were no anticipated cancellations for daytime arrivals on Oct. 10.
He said flights from Korea and Guam were scheduled to arrive on Oct. 10. There are also graveyard flights from Korea and Japan that were scheduled for the evening of Oct. 10, he added. However, those flights were being monitored due to the approaching storm, he said.
“We’re on standby waiting for word from airline partners on their plan — whether to continue with the flights as scheduled or to modify their schedule taking into account safety procedures,” Concepcion said.
Meantime, MVA is providing information to the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands regarding the coming storm as well as the latest advisories from the government.
“This is not our first rodeo,” Concepcion said. “We’ve been having typhoons and flight cancelations since the tourism industry started. It’s nothing new but we’re always on alert and trying to ensure that the tourism industry is informed, and they are kept in the loop with everything regarding the storm.”
Concepcion said the MVA could potentially work with HANMI hotels to offer “distress rates” or complimentary rooms for tourists in the event of flight cancellations.
He added, however, that these transactions are handled by the guests and hotels or airlines.
