Visitor influx sustains recovery in July

The total visitor arrivals into the islands last month sustained a trend of recovery for the CNMI’s tourism industry, posting double-digit percentage growth compared with the total visitor arrivals posted during the same month in the last two years.

Marianas Visitors Authority Vicky Benavente also disclosed that new airlines plan to operate at Kansai Airport and the Central Japan International Airport in the coming months—developments that would further enhance outbound Japanese travel.

A total of 47,442 tourists came to the islands last month, reflecting a 36.24 percent growth compared with July 2003’s 34,822. Compared with July 2002’s figures, the MVA said the current total increased by 24.09 percent.

“Due to the occurrence of world events in 2003, visitor arrivals are more realistically comparable to that of arrivals in the same period in 2002,” Benavente said in a media release. For both comparisons, though, figures showed improvement in the number of inbound visitors this year.

The month’s performance is the sixth consecutive month that visitor arrivals posted growth compared with last year’s monthly totals.

The CNMI’s premier market, Japan, showed vigor when it recorded some 32,037 Japanese visitors coming into the Northern Marianas last month, while the surging China market showed the highest percentage growth rate of 368 percent compared with July 2003’s total visitors.

Japanese arrivals went up by 42 percent compared with July 2003’s 22,569. Compared with July 2002 statistics, the MVA said the market registered a 26-percent growth.

Citing a Japan Association of Travel Agents survey monitoring the business climate in the Asian country’s travel industry, the MVA said Japanese outbound travel would further improve in the coming months.

“In the first five months of the year, departures from Japan climbed 21.05 percent to a provisional total of 6,203,496. This figure is just 1.11 percent behind the pace set in 2002, clearly illustrating that the outbound market is making a strong recovery,” the MVA said.

“According to the latest semi-annual survey of Japan’s outbound air seat capacity conducted by Weekly Travel Journal, the number of weekly seats this summer reaches 692,169, surpassing the all-time count set in the 2002-2003 winter schedules by some 26,000 seats. The capacity is a 45.65-percent increase from the previous year’s summer schedule, and also represents a rise of 5.5 percent compared [with] the summer 2002 schedule,” the MVA added.

Benavente cited projections that the capacity would even reach 700,000 by the time the next winter survey is conducted, as new airlines plan to operate at Kansai Airport later this year and at the Central Japan International Airport or Chubu airport near Nagoya in Feb. 2005.

The MVA also said Japanese outbound travel is expected to rise before and after the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece this month, although travel is expected for European destinations.

Visitors from China totaled 3,742 last month, leaping by 368 percent from July 2003’s 799. Compared with July 2002 figures, the China market’s growth remained a strong 165 percent, even if the CNMI still awaits the Chinese government’s approval of its Approved Destination Status application.

“This increase was contributed by the biweekly charter flights brought in by China Eastern Air. The added charter flights began on July 10, 2004 and utilized the A300 aircraft with a 269-seat capacity,” Benavente said.

Korean visitors totaled 7,298 last month, slightly higher by 2 percent from July 2003’s 7,140. The MVA noted, however, that the total dropped by 6 percent compared to July 2002 figures.

Visitor arrivals from the U.S. and Guam reached 1,125 and 1,680 last month. The figures went down by 21 and 4 percent, respectively, compared with July 2003’s totals—but improved by 10 and 20 percent compared with the same month in 2002.

The number of tourists from Hong Kong and Taiwan reached 193 and 68, respectively, which slightly decreased by 5 and 9 percent compared with last year’s statistics. When compared with 2002 figures, the decline becomes even higher at 58 and 48 percent.

Filipino tourists who came to the CNMI last month totaled 429, only one visitor higher than last year’s total.