MVA seeks community support on `99 promo

The Marianas Visitors Authority yesterday appealed for support from the community to make the ’99 Visit the Marianas Year Campaign a success as tourist arrivals in the CNMI continue to decline as a result of the economic crisis besetting Asia.

“We will continue to actively promote overseas but we must ask that the community extend extra efforts to make our visitors feel welcome. This could be something as simple as extending a smile or a wave — or competing in a friendly sporting event alongside a visitor — but whatever we do, let’s show our visitors genuine local hospitality to make their stay more comfortable and memorable,” said Perry J. Tenorio, managing director of MVA.

Arrivals from Japan alone, the island’s main source of tourist, have plunged as the world’s second largest economy is battling its worst recession since World War II.

Launched in Japan last year, the Visit Marianas ’99 Campaign will include the holding of sporting events such as golfing, diving, wind surfing, triathlons, marathons, fun runs and fishing throughout 1999.

Furthermore, this will include a variety of local events such as religious fiesta, cultural shows and displays as well as parades which are not actively promoted abroad. MVA is working with tour operators to promote these local events to their clients to lure them visit the island and enjoy the scheduled celebrations.

In carrying out the campaign, MVA hopes to create a year-long celebration that will give visitors from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guam and the U.S. mainland value for money and more reasons to visit the Northern Marianas.

Due to the currency crisis in the region, Tenorio noted that the island’s tourism economy has suffered a double-digit decline as the CNMI is a dollar-denominated destination. Currently, many Japanese travelers are drawn to destinations which offer cheaper packages in Asia such as Korea and Hong Kong.

In seeking the support of the community, Tenorio said, “For years, tourism has been the driving force that has brought the CNMI to a level of economic prosperity that we’ve grown accustomed to. We all need to work together to bring the tourism industry back to a healthy level. Every person, every family in the Commonwealth is now either directly or indirectly affected by the tourism industry.”