He is asking the CNMI’s delegate to the U.S. Congress, Gregorio C. Sablan, to work closely with his federal counterparts to ensure that Chinese and Russian tourists will continue to visit the islands even without securing a U.S. visa.
Manglona, in his letter to Sablan on Wednesday, expressed disappointment with the decision of the federal authorities who, he added, earlier indicated willingness to work with the CNMI and Guam in including China and Russia in the visa waiver program that will take effect with the federalization law’s implementation in June.
Because Guam has yet to develop its Russia and China markets, the lawmaker said it is the CNMI hotel industry that will be adversely affected.
“This will be a severe disruption to those hotels and tour operators in the CNMI that already have marketing systems, personnel and infrastructure in place to accommodate these visitors,” said Manglona, R-Rota.
The CNMI must emphasize how important it is to keep its Russia and China markets, he added.
Otherwise, he said, “we risk losing the significant progress we have made in developing these markets.”
Manglona said allowing the CNMI to continue accepting tourists from Russia and China while transitioning into the federal immigration system will also benefit Guam.
Marketing efforts for the region will continue in China and Russia and this will benefit both the CNMI and Guam, he added.
Moreover, as the CNMI transitions into the federal immigration system, the islands will be able to “pro-actively” address any security issues that may arise within the visa waiver program, Manglona said.
This, he added, will facilitate the future implementation of the visa waiver program on Guam.
Last month, the lawmaker noted the arrival of a large group of Russian tourists, which made a substantial positive impact on the local economy.
“It would be a great misfortune to see all of the investment and hard work that CNMI businesses have made in developing these emergent markets go to waste,” Manglona said.
