Tourism pitch in China backed

The chair of the House Commerce and Tourism Committee yesterday pressed Commonwealth officials to begin talks with Washington in efforts to get its green light on a plan by the Marianas Visitors Authority to entice tourists from the mainland China.

Rep. Oscar M. Babauta called for support on the MVA decision to proceed with a tourism campaign in the neighboring communist country despite the restrictions imposed by the Department of Labor and Immigration on its citizens.

He said the move is very timely in view of the thinning number of tourists from the traditional markets such as Japan and Korea, whose battered economies have affected spending habits of the people.

“I support the idea of tapping other countries as a source of tourists… It will be a big contribution to the tourism industry other than just concentrating on Japan and Korea, Taipei and Hong Kong,” Babauta told in an interview.

Citing opposition by the U.S. State Department, the representative said the island government must hold talks with federal officials to persuade them into endorsing the plan, which has been under consideration over the last two years.

“That is an obstacle that must be tackled firmly by the CNMI government. I believe that an official dialogue should yield positive results,” Babauta explained.

“We should initiate immediately that dialogue with the State Department to see how best we can admit Chinese citizens as tourists in the Commonwealth,” he said.

MVA Chairman Dave M. Sablan earlier has underscored the need to continue with its proposed marketing efforts in China in line with the implementation of government restrictions that will ensure that any visitor would not run away and become illegal alien on the island.

Steps have also been undertaken by MVA to comply with the requirements, requesting its authorized travel agencies in China to send background information of the travelers which will then be forwarded to DOLI for clearance.

No progress: So far, there has been no progress on MVA’s plan to tap the huge Chinese market to come to the CNMI after DOLI suspended indefinitely the issuance of entry permits to citizens of PROC due to refusal of Chinese officials to cooperate in accepting the return of its nationals deported from the Commonwealth.

Since last year Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has vowed to pursue its goal to expand the dwindling tourist market of the Northern Marianas by considering the proposal to tap millions of Chinese travelers.

MVA has been asking his administration to make representation with the People’s Republic of China on possible listing of the islands as one of tourist destinations for the country’s huge travel market.

There are more than 100 million up and coming middle-class travelers from China, whose number is expected to surge in the next few years due to its rapid economic growth.

Visitors from the communist country who are potential business investors are only allowed to come here by invitation, while Chinese with Hong Kong identification cards or British passports have been allowed to visit the island in the past few years.

According to Babauta, the MVA chairman “is heading into a right direction.”

He added that, “if and when the plan materializes, it will be a welcome move to the effort of MVA and hopefully it would improve not only the tourists arrivals to the CNMI, but also in terms of expenditures.”