MARIANAS Visitors Authority’s Korean office representative, Sei Jin, told MVA board members on Tuesday to expect fewer tourists from Korea in June and July.
“We will see a decrease of passenger booking trend for the CNMI…due to the…opening…of other destinations such as Guam and Hawaii,” said Jin who participated in the meeting via Zoom.
This month, Jin said Saipan has 2,624 bookings compared to Guam’s 1,784.
In June, Jin said Saipan is forecast to have 992 bookings compared to Guam’s 1,452; and in July, Saipan is forecast to have 546 bookings compared to Guam’s 655.
As for total flight seats in May 2022, Jin said the CNMI has 8,257; Guam, 17,303; and Hawaii, 16,311.
“Guam is expected to have a dramatic surge in terms of seats…in May,” Jin added. “In contrast, the CNMI’s seat supply will decrease due to an airline pausing their operation. Guam has also announced an airline subsidy of $100 per seat.”
Jin said if the CNMI will accept the Korean version of “confirmation of release from isolation” or a recovery letter from a hospital, “it will make us more competitive compared to other destinations.”
Jin noted that Guam and Hawaii accept the Korean version of a Korean visitor’s “confirmation of release from isolation.”
Jin also recommends increasing demand through “aggressive marketing activity.”
“We need to enhance destination awareness through active marketing promotions, and position the CNMI as the top preferred destination with the highest safety rating and an authentic nature while increasing flight frequencies for a stable seat supply.”
In other news
Also on Tuesday, the MVA board announced Nick Nishikawa’s appointment as the CNMI’s honorary tourism ambassador to Japan.
Nishikawa, who was in Japan, joined the MVA board meeting online.
The former general manager of Hyatt Regency of Saipan said he will do whatever he can to promote the CNMI in Japan, in addition to helping with all MVA activities in Japan.
Nishikawa has more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, and was general manager of Hyatt Regency Saipan for 13 years.
Nishikawa will be the general manager of a hotel in Japan that will open in May next year.
MVA board member Ivan Quichocho told Nishikawa, “I look forward to working with you.… [We will] try and promote direct [flight] service.… And once we select an airline partner or partners, we need…to really stimulate demand and ensure we can fill up the airplanes and restart the Japan market. So the plan should be forthcoming. [Our] Japan [office] is working very hard…and they’re going around meeting with vendors. We’re restarting the infrastructure for the Japan market.”
For their part, MVA Managing Director Priscilla Iakopo and board chair Viola Alepuyo commended Nishikawa for his commitment, contributions and dedication to the CNMI tourism industry.
Iakopo noted Nishikawa’s “exemplary leadership and personal care for the well-being of Hyatt Regency Saipan, its employees, tourism partners, and the greater Marianas community in his strong support of local labor development, numerous charitable donations, assistance to employees and the public following the devastation of Super Typhoon Soudelor and Super Typhoon Yutu, and ensuring the continued presence of a flagship hotel on Saipan through the renewal of Hyatt Regency Saipan’s public land lease.”
The Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors and management exchange pleasantries with its newly appointed honorary tourism ambassador to Japan, Nick Nishikawa, via Zoom on Tuesday. Nishikawa has returned to Japan after 13 years as general manager of Hyatt Regency Saipan.
