Previous Story
Island Cruise Lines relocates to RP
|
Posted on Dec 06 2005
With the CNMI’s tourism suffering tremendous decline following the pullout of Japan Airlines’ services to Saipan, a company that used to offer optional tours has reportedly ceased business operations and instead relocated to the Philippines.
Island Cruise Lines has reportedly relocated its two vessels to the Philippines. Efforts to contact the company’s Saipan offices proved futile, as phone calls to the company’s offices in Gualo Rai indicated that its telephone lines are no longer in service.
However, in a Nov. 14, 2005 letter by JM & Associates owner J.M. Guerrero—who is also a board member of the Marianas Visitors Authority—to Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Carlos Salas, he mentioned about the relocation of Island Cruise Lines to the Philippines.
“As you well know, the recent complete withdrawal of JAL, and the major pullout of Continental Airlines, has [sic] severely crippled our tourism industry,” Guerrero said.
“The direct negative impact has resulted in the recent announcement of Island Cruise Lines to relocate their two vessels to the Philippines, which is experiencing a tourism boom in Cebu,” he added.
In his letter, Guerrero also disclosed that there are several other tour companies that have been contemplating on stopping or downsizing their optional tour operations.
The businessman vowed to continue providing attractive optional tours despite the declines in tourism traffic and pullout of other industry players from the CNMI.
Visitor arrivals to the CNMI dived by 20.24 percent in November 2005 compared to the same period in 2004, based statistics released by the Marianas Visitors Authority late last week. The CNMI played host to some 35,008 tourists last month, 8,882 less than November 2004’s 43,890 visitors.
The decline in Japanese arrivals significantly contributed to the tourism slump. MVA statistics showed that arrivals from Japan, the CNMI’s premier tourist market, registered at only 21,602, dropping by 29 percent compared to November 2004’s total of 30,454.
