MVA embarks on Taipei mission

Marianas Visitors Authority Chairman David M. Sablan and Aviation Task Force head J.M. Guerrero leave today for Taiwan, armed with ready perks that they hope would get some Taiwanese airlines to fly to the CNMI.

MVA is trying to break into the Taiwan market to diversify the tourism market of the Northern Marianas and pull the half-a-billion-dollar industry from the brink of collapse.

The two officials will meet with executives of Far Eastern Air Transport, Eva Air and China Airlines to convince them to provide direct Saipan-Taipei service.

“We will ask these airlines what would take them to fly to the CNMI,” said Guerrero. He added that the task force has asked the Commonwealth Ports Authority to reduce by 50 percent the landing fee to new carriers that would come in for at least a year. “Right now, we’re at a loss, so any new airline that would come in with this incentive could not be considered a loss for the CNMI since it would just be temporary,” he added.

Both Sablan and Guerrero recently arrived from a meeting with Northwest Airlines in Tokyo where they sought the possibility of providing a Nagoya-Saipan direct flight.

“We will continue to hold talks with various airlines to that we can increase the arrivals in various markets,” said Sablan.
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Far Eastern Air had earlier expressed interest in providing direct Saipan-Taipei flight but postponed the plan due to the downturn in tourism economy as a result of Asia”s financial crisis. The Taiwanese carrier has informed the ports authority that it will push through with its plan once the economic situation in the region improves.

MVA officials have been eyeing the Taiwanese market for several years now, but the limited budget has prevented them from aggressively promoting in Taipei. At the same time, MVA wants to increase visibility there since Taiwan was thought to have been hardly affected by the economic crisis in the region.

“The greatest challenge for us is how to increase the airlines providing service to the island. At the same time, we have to generate enough demand to justify the continuous service of these airlines,” said Sablan.

Also, the beleaguered Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino has been targeting the Taiwanese market but has so far failed to convince Continental Micronesia to provide the planned Tinian-Taipei service.