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MVA to host XTERRA anew
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Posted on Apr 28 2005
Citing the international exposure received by the Northern Marianas from the recently concluded XTERRA Saipan Championship, the Marianas Visitors Authority has expressed its commitment to supporting the triathlon’s return in 2006.
In a meeting yesterday, the MVA board of directors approved the management’s recommendation to sponsor XTERRA Saipan for the fifth time next year.
The annual event cost MVA $350,000 in 2005.
“The recently held XTERRA Saipan Championship proved to the world and to the local community just what this destination is capable of—when we work together,” said MVA managing director Vicky Benavente.
She reported that the triathlon, in its third year, saw a 300-percent increase in international participation since its inception. Local participation has also grown by 230 percent due to strong increases for both the Trail Run and Kids Bike Races, she said.
From the Japanese market alone, participation has increased 545 percent since the event’s inception, due largely to the establishment of the XTERRA Global Tour office in Japan, she added.
However, Benavente maintained that the CNMI’s benefits from sponsoring XTERRA could better be measured by the advertising value that the destination received during the event.
Echoing a report issued earlier by the event organizer, Team Unlimited, Benavente said XTERRA Saipan was featured on 12 television shows with more 30 airings in Japan on Gaora TV.
Saipan is also expected to receive as much as $1 million worth of publicity in print and web-based media, with numerous international publications covering the event.
