These offices are in Japan, South Korea and China.
In Japan, the CNMI’s primary market, MVA signed a $1 million contract with Aviareps Marketing Garden Holdings Ltd this year.
Arrivals from Japan have decreased since Japan Airlines pulled out of the CNMI in Oct. 2005.
MVA earlier said that the limited choices of local tourism infrastructure continues to be a concern for tour operators.
The CNMI, unlike other destinations, also has a low promotional budget, according to MVA.
For promoting the CNMI in the Korea market, MVA also hired Aviareps for $856,000.
Two contractors were tapped by MVA to promote the CNMI in China — Century Travel & Tour Agency Limited and Tinian Dynasty Travel Company Limited.
Their annual contracts are worth $500,000 each.
MVA shut down its office in Manila following the opening of an NCLEX testing centers for nurses in the Philippine capital and Continental Airlines’ decision to terminate its Saipan-Manila route in July.
Under the new fiscal year 2009 budget bill, MVA stands to receive a $7.8 million budget of which $6.7 million is for promotions and advertising, while $1.1 million is for the salaries of its 36 full-time employees.
