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‘Rota charters as yet unaffected by Japan recession’
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Posted on Jan 07 2009
Charter flights to Rota appear to be unaffected by the economic downturn in Japan, according to Pacific Development, Inc.
PDI president Yoichi Matsumura said the holiday packages the company organized with parent company, KNT Kinki Nippon Tourist Co., Ltd., are doing fine and that the last two charter flights to the Commonwealth’s southernmost chain were in fact fully booked.
“For the last two charter flights that came in, it was fully booked, carrying 150 passengers per flight. The yearend and New Year Rota charter flights are doing well as it was the first time these flights were made to Rota. These flights have had a big effect on Rota. Besides, the Rota charter subscriptions and marketing efforts were carried out comparatively earlier than Saipan and Guam destinations,” he said in an e-mail to the Saipan Tribune.
Matsumura said another flight charter flight to Rota is arriving today, Jan. 8. He said the flight will be carrying tourists from the Hokkaido-Sapporo area and, like the first two, is expected to be fully booked.
The longtime CNMI tourism executive, however, said that while the numbers for these three flights are encouraging, he does expect some rough sailing ahead in the coming months.
“In spite of the tough recession in Japan, the yearend and New Year flights to Rota were not affected since they were the first direct charters this year. [However,] service will definitely be affected by the recession. Regular flights are [already] selling at cheaper prices in our neighboring island of Guam as well as on Saipan. It will also be tight for Rota.”
Matsumura, however, is confident that his company and the CNMI will weather the storm.
“With the same support coming from the CNMI and Rota governments, the Marianas Visitors Authority, as well as Rota Resort Hotel, PDI will continue its interest in the Rota charter.”
PDI and KNT announced last February that it will bring in 40 new charter flights to Rota in the next couple of years.
The Rota charter flight are expected to bring in some 8,000 tourists to Rota in about a year. KNT has chartered Continental Airlines to bring in the Rota flights. Continental Airlines has been using its 155-seater Boeing 737 aircraft to service the island.
