JAL brings in add’l 3,000 tourists to NMI

Standing pat on its commitment to continuously help facilitate the recovery of Northern Marianas’ tourism industry from a catastrophic slump, Japan Airlines is hoping to bring in additional 3,000 travelers to the islands for this month.

The additional deplanement figures are expected to come from the 13 extra flights the air carrier scheduled to deploy between major cities in Japan and Saipan for the whole month of March.

In February, JAL has provided 17 additional flights on top of its daily direct flights between Japan and Saipan, according to Commonwealth Ports Authority Executive Director Carlos H. Salas.

Mr. Salas noted that the increasing number of people disembarking from the Saipan International Airport due to the extra flights provided by Japan’s flag carrier is an indication of JAL’s intensified efforts in promoting the Northern Marianas as a prime tour destination.

“JAL daily flights bring in about 3,000 passengers to Saipan. The extra flights bring in about 3,000 more. So JAL is really doing a lot of promotion for Saipan in that respect,” he told ports authority Board of Directors.

JAL has been urging the CNMI government to intensify its efforts in building a stronger image for the Northern Marianas to complement visitor industry players’ endeavor to make the islands a prime tour destination.

The airline company believes in the potentials of Saipan being an attractive destination as manifested by JAL’s heavy investment in the island that include a hotel and a shopping complex.

Landing costs in Saipan which is similar to Japan domestic destinations, as well as the short flight time, prompted JAL to invest on Saipan over other overseas areas like Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Guam, Palau and the Philippines.

JAL executive Tom Shigemitsu previously said, however, that the CNMI could help lessen the financial burden borne by airlines if it would explore ways to reduce landing costs until, at least, the demand recovers.

Shigemitsu stressed that the government should assist with the further expansion of the promotional campaign, as well as revitalize the inbound tourism industry of the CNMI.

“Trying to win back the Japanese market will not be an easy task for CNMI, or other countries it is competing against. Results cannot be achieved through the efforts of any one party alone,” he added.

Under JAL’s Super Resort Express promotional program, the CNMI competes with Hawaii, Guam and Oceania for international tourists departing Japan which have ballooned from a little over 5.5 million in 1986 to 10 million in 1990.

Japan may also be a competition since it is intensifying efforts to entice more inbound tourists under the Japanese government’s Welcome Plan 21 which hopes to double the number of inbound tourists from 3.5 million to seven million in year 2005.

Japan Airlines, in July 1998, increased the seating capacities of all its flights to Saipan from the Kansai Airport, by upgrading the present Boeing 767 planes to DC-10.

B767 airplanes can accommodate 216 passengers while DC10s have 266 available seats.

JAL has direct Japan-Saipan-Japan flights every day, which have been very effective in encouraging more travels among Japanese tourists to the Northern Marianas.

Airline officials said the company is guided by the 3D principle which has been proven to be really very effective in encouraging more tourist movements. The 3Ds stand for Direct, Daily and Daytime operation.