‘CNMI ADS signing gets national exposure’
Members of the CNMI delegation to China, headed by Gov. Juan N. Babauta, faced the media yesterday still exuberant over what they describe as “a most historic, most remarkable event” for the Northern Marianas—the signing of the Approved Destination Status with China on Dec. 30.
“ADS is a historic opportunity for the Northern Marianas. This agreement has lasting importance for tourism, our core economy,” said Babauta during yesterday’s press conference.
Veteran businessman Robert Jones, chair of the CNMI Strategic Economic Development Council, who joined the delegation in Beijing last week, said the ADS signing was “the biggest economic event that the CNMI has seen in many years.”
“It’s certainly true that that the growing transportation links between the NMI and China are an important element in the growth of tourism,” he said.
Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Vicki I. Benavente said the ADS signing was “a great, positive development for the CNMI.”
She said that MVA, which has established three offices in China, would work hard to fill the demand in the CNMI for tourists.
In the long run, she said, the goal for the Marianas “is to become a five-star destination.”
“We want to see the growth in tourism not from sheer number of visitor arrivals, but rather from the value those visitors add to our economy,” she said.
Babauta expressed pride yesterday over the extensive publicity the ADS signing in Beijing got. He noted that the ADS signing with China National Tourism Administration chair He Guanghei on Dec. 30 was covered by the national media in China.
“We were on national TV. The signing event was covered widely in the national media. We’re very happy,” said Babauta.
After the signing on Thursday, Babauta said he led a press conference attended by 30 national journalists.
That same evening, he said the CNMI hosted a dinner for the media and representatives from 42 travel agencies.
During the occasion, 20 tickets to the CNMI were handed out in a raffle for the guests.
Babauta said that high government officials also attended the dinner, including Wang Ronghua of the China Civil Aviation Administration, Wang Seng of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jin Xu of the Ministry of Commerce.
The CNMI expects to welcome some 50,000 Chinese tourists this year, boosting its annual tourist arrivals.
The ADS serves as guide for Chinese tourists when making travel choices overseas. Chinese tourists are able to travel to ADS countries more easily as part of pre-organized tour groups.
Yesterday, Babauta noted that China travelers grew in number in 2004 to 27 million, or seven million more compared with the numbers in 2002.
He said a survey by the World Tourism Organization shows that China is among the top 10 countries in terms of outbound tourism.
The Chinese government, he said, has recently relaxed restrictions on how much money these travelers can take with them overseas.
As of Jan. 1, he said, each tourist may carry $8,000, a 60-percent increase over previous limits.
