Under Public Law 17-29, which Gov. Benigno R. Fitial signed in February, a $100 incentive is given to travel agents for each visitor they bring in from Osaka and Nagoya, Japan.
Press Secretary Angel A. Demapan on Saturday said the administration did not implement the program in the first “death valley” period, which started last month because of the disaster that hit Japan in March.
Japan, he said, is in a period of mourning and recovery and the administration decided not to implement the incentive program yet out of respect for the people of the Asian nation.
Moreover, Demapan said, travel agents already sold their packages for April to June travels before the law was enacted.
The incentive, he added, cannot be paid retroactively so it would most likely apply to the next “death valley” period which starts in September.
The death valley period is when tourist arrivals are lower than the rest of the year.
Peak periods
In a separate interview, Marianas Visitors Authority Managing Director Perry Tenorio said local tourism should enter its peak period in July.
Japan’s recovery is already underway, he said, adding that during the hot summer months, many Japanese may decide to again travel.
The other peak period of tourist arrivals, Tenorio said, starts in mid-December.
He expects to see more tourists from Japan in the next few months.
For his part, House Minority Leader Diego T. Benavente, R-Saipan, said MVA’s efforts in promoting the CNMI in other Asian countries should be a priority of the Legislature.
Instead of waiting for something that they, lawmakers, cannot agree on, he said, they should focus on something they all agree on, which is finding ways to save the local tourism industry.
