JAL to cut fare in Oct.

Japan Airlines will reduce by 50 percent its airfare in October, November and December 1999 as well as February and March 2000 as part of JAL’s commitment to increase visitor arrivals in the CNMI.

Before the end of 1999, JAL will operate nine charter flights to Saipan, three each in the months of October, November and December from Nagoya.

The next millennium will be greeted by JAL with a total of eight more Nagoya-Saipan charter flights in January, February and March, 2000. Likewise, JAL will have eight more charter flights from Fukuoka to Saipan.

Based on the passenger arrivals record of JAL, the airline was able to bring in 19,671 visitors for the month of August alone, or a jump of 139 percent increase compared to the same month the previous year.

It was the biggest number of passengers ferried by JAL since it started its operation in Saipan.

Of the total 19,671 passengers of JAL in August, some 12,566 came from Tokyo, while 6,319 came from Osaka. The chartered flights in August ferried 786 passengers.

JAL has maintained its share of over 50 percent of the total tourists from Japan from January to July of this year.

Dubbed as Lady’s Special, the airline is offering a special fare to female travelers on October 6, 13, 20 and 27, November 10, 17, 24 and December 1.

Valentine Special discounted fare will be given to any couple on Feb. 14-16, 2000. All female travelers can again take advantage of a cheap rate on March 3-5, 2000 dubbed as a Doll’s Festival Special, a celebration of traditional Japanese doll-making .

JAL will fare will only be $33,000 yen during these special promo dates. The airline’s fare to Saipan can reach as much as $120,000 yen (individual) to $64,000 yen (group), depending on the season.

In a bid to increase its market share in Japan, the Marianas Visitors Authority is seeking an additional $1.75 million for Fiscal 2000 as its budget was only pegged at $5.88 million.

For the past six months, it has been using a mascot named Saipanda, a new character resembling a panda bear with a rhinoceros horn nose in its promotional campaign in Japan.

The name is a triple play on words that ties in the name of the island of Saipan, the panda, the rhinoceros (sai in Japanese) and also the phrase “It’s Saipan,” or Let’s go to Saipan,” in Japanese.

Saipanda will be introduced in different newspapers and magazines targeting the office ladies who comprise the biggest travel market in Japan.

MVA Managing Director Perry Tenorio said additional funding will allow the tourism agency to carry out an effective marketing campaign that will create the demand and eventually stimulate more carriers to fly directly to the CNMI.

More importantly, there is an urgent need to create a distinct image for Saipan which will differentiate it from Guam. The planned campaign will focus on increasing awareness on the diversity of the CNMI’s tourism product.

Tourist arrivals in the CNMI have drastically declined since the Asian economic crisis begun in July 1997. Businesses believe that it would be difficult for the island government to go back to its pre-Asian crisis boom when visitor arrivals reached 726,690, or a 66 percent jump over 1996.

Due to the currency devaluation of the Asian currencies against the U.S. dollar, traveling to the CNMI has become very expensive for visitors from Japan and Korea, while the destinations in Asia have become much cheaper.