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NMI tourism officials to meet House delegation in Guam
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Posted on Aug 07 2008
Three local tourism officials are bound for Guam to meet a delegation of congressional staffers today on key issues related to the forthcoming federal immigration rules that will regulate foreign travelers in the CNMI.
At least nine congressional staff members are now in Guam, a visit linked to legislation signed by President Bush earlier this year establishing federal authority over the local immigration and foreign labor system. The delegation—composed of staff from several committees and the office of Rep. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU)—is slated to arrive on Saipan Monday to meet with the local Chamber of Commerce and Gov. Benigno Fitial.
Lynn Knight, president of the Hotel Association of the Northern Marianas Islands; Perry Tenorio, director of the Marianas Visitors Authority; and Marian Aldan-Pierce, the MVA board’s vice chairwoman, intend to meet with the delegation today. Members of the Marianas Integrated Immigration Task Force in Guam invited them to attend the meeting.
In interviews Thursday, Tenorio and Knight said a key issue in the Guam conference will be the joint Guam-CNMI visa waiver program that the new law creates, which will let travelers from certain nations travel within the islands without the requirement of a federal visa. Tourism officials have previously said this program is critical to the CNMI because it could safeguard the tourism industry and foreign investors from strict federal immigration rules.
“The importance is to allow us to continue to welcome Chinese and Russian visitors to the Marianas Islands,” Tenorio said, adding that the local task force members hope to enlist the help of the congressional staffers in advocating for the inclusion of those tourists in the program.
“As staff for members of Congress, hopefully they can argue the importance of these two markets to the CNMI and Guam,” he said.
In a statement last month, CNMI Resident Representative Pete A. Tenorio said the delegation aims to ensure that the intent of the newly signed law is being met and to focus on job training for local workers.
