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Tourist arrivals jump 13 percent in Sept.
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Posted on Oct 15 1999
Visitor arrivals for the month of September totaled 40,087, or a 13 percent increase compared to the same period in 1998, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority.
However, the increase was due to the lower base in September 1998 because of the strike by Northwest Airlines pilots (Aug. 13-Sept. 16, 1998). Overall visitor arrivals in Fiscal Year 1999 slid 7 percent compared to FY 1998, or a total of 491,602.
Due to the four charter flights brought in by Japan Airlines from Nagoya during the month, visitor arrivals from Japan rose 16 percent. Arrivals from Japan’s major market regions improved as follows: Kanto, 24 percent; Kinki, 10 percent; and Tokai, 29 percent.
With the continued confidence in the Korean economic recovery, arrivals from Korea grew 74 percent. This continued increase is brought about by the implementation of Asiana Airlines’ daily service between Seoul and Saipan.
Asiana’s seat capacity increased from 1,327 to 1,564 compared to the same period the previous year. The airlines also brought in two flights from Pusan during the month with the honeymoon season in fall.
The Korean market is expected to perform much better this fiscal year with the Pusan-Seoul chartered flights twice a week beginning Oct. 12 until end of December 1999 for the honeymoon season.
Asiana is also looking at the possibility of providing a regular Pusan-Saipan flight in the middle of next year.
Asiana will use a B-737 with a seating capacity of 145 in its Pusan-Saipan charter flights. Pusan, located in the southern part of Korea, is considered a big source of the honeymoon market.
Tourism officials have expressed hope that the arrival of Northwest Airlines’ B747 would signal the improvement of the CNMI’s market share in Japan.
At the same time, Japan Airlines has been continuously operating charter flights from various cities in Japan due to the termination of direct flights by Continental Micronesia. Before the end of the year, nine Nagoya-Saipan charter flights will be arriving.
All Nippon Airways will carry out 10 Osaka-Saipan charter flights for the millennium package tour, which is being marketed by a subsidiary of Japan Travel Bureau, the world’s biggest tour operator.
