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Taiwan carrier pledges Saipan route
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Posted on Dec 04 1998
The Marianas Visitors Authority may still develop its alternative market in Taiwan despite the financial difficulty facing the agency after Far Eastern Air Transport pledged to begin its first chartered Taipei-Saipan direct flight in January 1999.
Dave M. Sablan, board chairman of MVA and Aviation Task Force head J.M. Guerrero held talks with the airline’s officials last week in a bid to increase the visitor arrivals from Taiwan.
Unfortunately, China Airlines and Eva Air appeared lukewarm on the possibility of providing service to the Northern Marianas, said Sablan.
At the same time, a travel agency that works closely with Far Eastern will visit the Northern Marianas soon to help the MVA in its promotional campaign, he added.
MVA has been trying to develop the Taiwanese market but budgetary problems had prevented the officials from aggressively marketing the Northern Marianas there.
The U.S. Department of Transportation had already given Far Eastern the license to provide air service in the Northern Marianas but backtracked from its plan as a result of the financial crisis in Asia.
CNMI officials sought the meeting with Far Eastern executives to convince them to push through with the planned air service in the Northern Marianas amid the reduction in number of flights of Continental Micronesia to various destinations in Japan from Saipan due to the economic crisis in the region.
According to Sablan, MVA is faced with the challenge of increasing airline seats and creating enough demand for these carriers to continue providing service. The Taiwanese travel agency, he said, will also go to Tinian to visit the hotel casino complex.
The beleaguered Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino has also been eyeing the Taiwanese market as it already negotiated with Continental Micronesia to provide Taipei-Tinian charted flights. However, the plan has yet to materialize since the island-municipality has failed to install a fuel facility.
A group of journalists from Taiwan recently arrived here as part of the CNMI’s promotional campaign to get more exposure in various publications abroad.
