NMI overture met with ‘wait-and-see’ stance

None of the four airlines that Gov. Juan N. Babauta and his delegation visited in Japan last week made a commitment to provide more seat capacity to Saipan, the Marianas Visitors Authority reported.

MVA managing director Vicky I. Benavente said, however, that the airlines, as well as the travel companies that the delegation met with, were very receptive to the ideas presented by the CNMI group during the discussions.

“We conveyed two messages for the tourism industry partners that we visited: ‘Thank you for your support and please increase seat capacity to Saipan,’” said Benavente. “None of them made any commitment. Their attitude was more like ‘we’ll see’ and I can totally understand them, considering the high fuel cost.”

Nevertheless, she said the delegation succeeded in updating the airlines and travel agencies on the improvements and programs being initiated to enhance the Northern Marianas as a tourist destination.

Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas made a presentation on CPA’s incentive program for airlines that start flight service from previously unserved markets, while Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands president Lynn Knight reported on the various renovation projects being undertaken by local hotels.

Although the delegation failed in its original intent, Knight said the trip produced some positive results in that discussions were opened on other ways the Commonwealth could foster its partnership with Japan’s tourism industry players.

One good idea that came out of a meeting with a travel company, she said, is a marketing strategy that highlights the Northern Marianas’ warm sunny climate to stimulate travel during off-peak season.

She added that the delegation also had fruitful talks with Northwest Airlines on the matter of flight re-routing and support for local events, among other things.

“Courtesy visits are a necessary part of doing business. We should do it at least twice a year, because I don’t think we’re going to be really effective if we just go up once,” Knight said. “Certainly, a lot of destinations have been calling on them as well. We have to keep up with the competition. You can’t just suddenly go up and ask for something if you haven’t already got a relationship in place. There’s got to be an ongoing dialogue.”

Led by Babauta, the delegation that visited Japan on Feb. 21 also included MVA chair David M. Sablan, MVA vice chair Marian Aldan-Pierce, MVA board member Yoichi Matsumura, Benavente, Salas, and Knight.

The trip was organized by MVA in view of declining tourist arrivals from Japan, which was attributed to the decreased number of seats available to CNMI-bound Japanese travelers.

Continental Airlines terminated its Saipan-Nagoya flights in April last year. Japan Airlines and Northwest Airlines have downsized the aircraft used for their Tokyo-Saipan service.