New Palms Resort manager sees bright tourism prospects in 2009

Despite the worldwide economic downturn, the new general manager of Palms Resort Saipan sees some bright prospects ahead next year.

Mustafa Issa, who was hired two weeks ago, explained that tourists from Japan and Korea would definitely opt for a shorter trip, instead of going to other destinations farther than Saipan.

Issa said this would be an advantage for an island like Saipan because of its proximity to Asia.

He said Saipan would be more attractive to the Japanese and Korean markets because it would be easier, quicker and nearer.

“I’m always confident that we would be able to get them here. We can assure them that they will get great value for their money. Instead of seeing a decline in visitor arrivals, we should be the ones benefiting,” he said.

During a chance interview, Issa talked about some of the hotel’s immediate plans.

The main goal, he said, is to plan for the future of the resort with an emphasis on how to draw the line where the resort is going to be in the years to follow.

“With the economic situation worldwide, I think that it would be to our advantage. The only thing is how to deal with it,” he said.

He said they will not implement any major changes but they are committed to maintaining “the individuality of the resort as a resort and keep it as an independent hotel.”

He said they plan to provide quality service not only to the tourists but also to the local community.

“There is nothing wrong about being said that we are a Japanese hotel. We still have those Japanese guests. But we also intend to look at the local market. We are a local company and we feel that we should give emphasis as being part of the local community,” Issa said.

Issa said they also intend to provide catering services but this is just one of the ways to reach to the local market.

“We are doing everything to attend to the local market like offering them special discounts and different programs,” he said. “We thank the travel agents and the government for always supporting us in these trying times.”

Some of the improvements to be made will be the installation of flat screen televisions and new beds.

“We will continue to stay ahead of everybody. We will do whatever we can that will help the business. We are excited to do these for the future of the hotel,” he said.

He said he is confident that his team will make Palms Resort the best on the island.