MVA: CNMI tourism unaffected by Guam missile crisis

The Marianas Visitors Authority said the islands’ No. 1 economic driver—the tourism industry—has been unaffected and remains consistent despite the recent threats of North Korea to fire missiles at neighboring Guam.

“The CNMI remains a safe destination. Safety is always a concern for the MVA. However, we are fully confident that the U.S. military is ready and able to counter any threats made against the CNMI at any time,” said MVA managing manager Chris Concepcion.

On Monday, the conversation between U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo revolved around Guam’s tourism industry being bolstered by the international exposure the U.S. territory is getting from North Korea’s provocations.

“Guam was the target of North Korea, not the CNMI, and we are relieved that no mention in news media has been made about the CNMI being in any danger,” said Concepcion.

The MVA chief said CNMI visitors continue to arrive and services to these tourists on all of the islands have not fallen short. He also believes the U.S. is fully committed to protecting the CNMI.

“We want to reassure the world that the CNMI remains a completely safe destination. It remains business as usual for the tourism industry. Our visitors continue to arrive in record droves. There has not been any drop in arrivals,” he said.

Currently, the marketing of the CNMI in South Korea has been strong and keeping up with the theme that the CNMI is a “paradise for everyone.”

Concepcion said the appointment of Korean celebrities to stand as Marianas ambassadors, product placement in major TV programs, exposure in home shopping programs, and cooperative promotions with airlines, brand name companies, and other partners attest to the CNMI’s commitment to the Korean market.

“Korea remains our top source market. Because the CNMI is served by five different airlines out of Korea daily, it is very easy for visitors from Korea to choose the CNMI as their preferred destination,” he said.

Concepcion added that Korea has actually surpassed Japan in terms of total outbound traffic, which is an incredible feat given that Korea has less than half the population of Japan as a whole.

“Korea is a stable and mature market and the MVA will continue to invest in this key source market for the foreseeable future,” he added.

According to MVA, 51 percent of CNMI visitor arrivals are from South Korea, based on a year-to-date report released in August.

“We did of course have our pulse on the situation and were kept abreast with what was happening in Korea by our representative office in Seoul. But it’s business-as-usual for the MVA. While we are cautious with the threats being made against Guam by North Korea, we acknowledge that most of that was foolish rhetoric on the part of North Korea and are fully confident in the power of the U.S. military to defend our islands against any threat,” Concepcion said.

To this end, the MVA managing director continues to invite tourists to visit and Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

“The target for North Korea is Guam since there are military installations there. There are zero U.S. military bases in the CNMI so we remain a safe place to visit and invest,” he added.