THE Marianas Visitors Authority board has decided to reopen its Japan office as part of a “travel bubble” plan that also includes South Korea.
MVA Managing Director Priscilla Iakopo said reopening the Japan office will cost $6,000 a month.
“We definitely need to reinstate the Japan office to really help us with the communications and networking and give us all the information we really need to execute the travel bubble,” she said.
In September 2021, MVA closed its offices in Taiwan and Japan due to the Covid-19 outbreak, which shut down the local tourism industry.
MVA board member Ivan Quichocho, who is also a member of the travel bubble committee, said that despite the recent rise in Covid-19 cases in Japan and South Korea, the CNMI should start drawing up all the protocols and the parameters for the travel bubble, which can only be implemented if the safety of the tourists and the people of the CNMI is assured.
“So maybe we should look at Rota as the start for a Japan bubble, as Rota has always been Japan-centric in terms of source markets. [Rota has] sufficient rooms to handle [passengers of a] narrow-body charter plane,” he said.
MVA board vice chair Gloria Cavanagh said they also plan to market Rota as a “wedding destination” for the travel bubble.
“We want to just talk in general about what we foresee as a potential rollback of some of the restrictions,” Quichocho said. “And given that the vaccine companies haven’t authorized kids yet or pregnant women, there’s still that bit of a roadblock…that may keep us…restricted,” he added.
The travel bubble plan for South Korea, which may be launched on Feb. 5, 2021, will require visitors to get tested and undergo quarantine.
