MARIANAS Visitors Authority Managing Director Chris Concepcion said the CNMI is seeing a slight increase in arrivals from China even without direct flights from what used to be the islands’ second largest tourism market.
In April 2023, arrivals from China totaled 164; in May, 392; in June, 503; and in July, 1,075.
In 2019, prior to the pandemic, there were 185,536 arrivals from China. This figure dropped to 18,550 in 2020; 12 in 2021; and 186 in 2022.
Concepcion echoed the statement made by U.S. Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who welcomed China’s recent decision to lift travel restrictions to the U.S. including the CNMI.
Concepcion said the Commonwealth is unique among all the U.S. states and territories in that “we are the only jurisdiction that allows the entry of Chinese citizens through a discretionary parole program being implemented by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.”
He said the CNMI tourism industry cannot survive long-term with just one dominant source market as is the case today with South Korea.
“Any opportunity to diversify our tourism portfolio is welcomed,” he added. “We look forward to welcoming more visitors from all over the world.”
