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Babauta OKs 2 tourism bills, flies to Tokyo
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Posted on Jun 17 2005
Before flying to Tokyo Thursday afternoon, Gov. Juan N. Babauta signed two bills into law, authorizing the government to provide incentives to airlines and tour agencies to bring in more tourists into the CNMI.
Babauta approved House Bill 14-338, which appropriates $2 million to the Commonwealth Ports Authority “to provide incentives to airlines so that they can remain competitive and defray some of the costs of providing service to the CNMI.”
In his transmittal letter to the Legislature, Babauta said the measure will allow CPA “to continue to work with the administration,” Marianas Visitors Authority and the tourism sector “to address the uncertainty caused by the uncertainty of Japan Airlines’ continued operation in the region.”
Babauta said the funds appropriated to CPA, which comes from poker fee collections, “cannot be reprogrammed and are not subject to fiscal year limitation for the next five years.”
The bill, authored by House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial and Rep. Heinz Hofschneider, became Public Law 14-74.
Babauta also approved House Bill 14-109, which gives the MVA the legal authority to expend its appropriated funds for promotional activities “in the Commonwealth and in major tourism market such as Japan, that sustain the tourism industry in the Commonwealth.”
“This will allow MVA to be more creative and innovative in its promotional efforts to attract more tourists to the Commonwealth and, in return, the Commonwealth will receive greater revenue from the business generated by the tourism industry,” he said.
H.B. 14-109, authored by Reps. Joseph Deleon Guerrero, David Apatang, Jesus Attao, Arnold I. Palacios, and Benjamin Seman, became Public Law 14-73.
Babauta, who led a second trade mission to Japan Thursday, earlier said that his team will report about the government’s incentive programs for airline companies as a way to boost the tourist arrivals in the Commonwealth.
Babauta’s team is scheduled to return to the CNMI this weekend. (Liberty Dones)
