MVA set to appeal Korean Air application for Seoul-Saipan flight

Marianas Visitors Authority board chairman Dave M. Sablan will meet with officials of Korea’s Ministry of Construction and Transportation to appeal for the immediate approval of the application of Korean Air to begin its Seoul-Saipan service.

Sablan said the trip set on Sept. 14-16, 1999 is a follow up on the earlier request made by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to Korean officials to boost traffic and revive the CNMI’s ailing tourism economy.

MVA deputy managing director Vicky Benavente will accompany Sablan in the three-day trip where they will also meet with members of Korean media to invite them for a familiarization trip on Saipan.

“There is actually no restriction for Korean Air to fly to Saipan. The Korean government just want to make sure that all the safety measures are at par,” said Sablan.

Visitor arrivals from Korea drastically declined after the pullout of Korean Air in August 1997 due to the tragic crash on nearby island Guam and the plunge of the Korean economy amid Asia’s financial crisis.

While Asiana Airlines is currently providing Seoul-Saipan direct flights six times a week, Tenorio said he believes that the CNMI must be serviced by an additional carrier so that the travel demands can be met and the Northern Marianas can regain its lost market share.

With the planned daily non-stop Seoul-Saipan flights of Asiana Airlines, the Marianas Visitors Authority is planning to carry out more promotional campaign in Korea.

Currently, MVA has only set aside $125,000 to promote the CNMI as an ideal destination in Korea to maintain visibility there. When Asiana begins its daily flights, MVA wants to take advantage of the situation by pumping in more money for promotion.

In support of KAL’s application to fly Seoul-Saipan direct, the governor said he is optimistic that with the recent strong growth of the Korean economy, the CNMI will once again regain the Pre-International Monetary Fund visitor arrivals.

Korea is the CNMI’s second biggest source of tourists. Korean Air used to ferry an average of 12,000 passengers a month.

Since early this year, there has been a steady increase in the number of visitor arrivals from Korea primarily due to the improvement in the Korean economy.

Korean Air board chairman Yang Ho Cho and a number of the airline’s executives held a brief visit to the CNMI early this year where they also inspected a number of hotels on the island. Yang expressed interest in resuming Korean Air service before the end of the year.

MVA has been eyeing the honeymoon market in Korea which is projected to increase continuously as some 400,000 couples are expected to get married this year.

Many are expecting the CNMI to get a bigger share of the honeymoon market since the crash in neighboring island Guam is still fresh in the minds of many Koreans.