GOVERNOR Ralph DLG Torres said his council of economic advisers and private sector partners continue to renovate tourist sites in the CNMI.
The Commonwealth hopes to make a “stronger impression” when tourists return to the islands, he added.
“It’ll be a new tourism. It’ll be a new way of appreciating tourists. There’s a new way for travelers and we want to make that [strong] first impression,” he said.
“Every flight that will come in is basically like an inaugural flight.”
Since March, because of the Covid-19 global pandemic, CNMI tourism has shut down.
The governor said about 35 companies have signed up as government partners in renovating 22 tourist sites.
“Overall, the goal is to make the CNMI — including Rota and Tinian — a world-class destination,” he said. “This is our downtime and it’s the best time for us to make sure that we give as much effort, resources, and manpower to renovate and fix our tourist sites.”
The governor said the beautification team is excited.
“We’ve seen a lot of progress. We can see around the island that there’s a lot of beautification that’s happening,” he added.
Work is being done at multiple tourist sites, including the Grotto, which now has new railings above the observation deck and is having its stairs revamped.
Other popular sites include the Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio Beach Road Pathway, Garapan Central Park, Suicide Cliff and other historical sites in Marpi.
These will have new signs and will be maintained by organizations that have “adopted” them.
The governor extended his gratitude to all private partners, non-governmental organizations, and volunteers for their commitment to the renovations.
“I hope that we can also do that as a community: maintain the beauty of what we have because… that’s why we have tourism — to showcase our islands, to showcase the beauty of what we have, our culture, our language, and our people,” Torres said.
“I hope that our community, as we see these renovations being done around the island, will also take care of them.”
Gov. Torres encourages community members to extend their appreciation to all private partners, non-governmental organizations, and volunteers for their commitment to make the CNMI a better place.
For updates on the public-private partnership program through the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, visit https://www.facebook.com/cnmigov.economy
MVA photo
