Yahoo! Japan and Asahi News Star to feature Saipan, Tinian

The Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan and Tinian will be featured as a vacation destination over the next few months on Yahoo! Japan and Asahi News Star, following a recent familiarization tour from Japan.

A cable and satellite news channel, Asahi News Star reaches 4.5 million households. As part of its 20th anniversary, the channel will produce 15-minute and 5-minute programs for March and April to introduce Saipan and Tinian as a destination for the senior market. The five-minute programs will also air on Yahoo! Japan.

A producer, director, assistant director, and cameraman from Asahi News Start arrived on Saipan last week and departed Wednesday morning, Feb. 18.

“Five full days of shooting is slightly longer than our average familiarization tour, and we’ve been very pleased to assist Asahi News Star in seeing as much of our islands as possible during their stay,” said Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Perry Tenorio. “We’re especially pleased that they requested to join the festivities at last weekend’s Tinian Hot Pepper Festival, as the Tinian community has its own special appeal to visitors.”

The group arrived in Saipan on Friday, Feb. 13. After checking in at the Palms Resort Saipan, they boarded a quick ferry to Managaha Island, where they spent several hours gathering footage of the island’s world-renowned snorkeling, tradewind-powered parasailing, and the new beach spa. Later in the day, the tour group took in the scenic and historic sites of northern Saipan, including Banzai Cliff, Suicide Cliff, Last Command Post, Bird Island Lookout, Grotto, and the Marpi pathway.

The familiarization tour joined the activities of the annual Tinian Hot Pepper Festival over the weekend. The tour traveled by jet-powered ferry to Tinian and checked into the world-class Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino. In addition to participating in the festival revelries at Tachogna Beach, the tour group also took in the giant, carved limestone monoliths at the House of Taga, the island’s popular and picturesque blowhole and quaint San Jose village.

The many culinary pleasures of Saipan and Tinian were featured, including local produce and dishes sold by farmers at the weekly Sabalu Market, familiar Japanese favorites at grocery store and restaurant Ebisuya, a barbecue lunch hot off the grill, island favorites seasoned with Tinian donni sali (indigenous Chamorro hot pepper), a sunset dinner cruise aboard the sailboat Stars and Stripes, and an elegant spread put out by Revolving Restaurant 360.

The shooting schedule also featured several sports and recreational activities available year-round in the CNMI, including golf at Laolao Bay Golf Resort and walking along the scenic Saipan Beach pathway. The crew also enjoyed a day of activities with Marianas Trekking, taking a hiking tour to Forbidden Island and snorkeling in the azure waters of Saipan.

When asked how they liked Saipan, show producer Miho Harada said, “It’s wonderful here, I don’t want to leave.” Both she and famed Japanese movie director Eiji Uchida vowed to return to the Marianas on vacation.

The tour was supported by MVA, providing assistance with permitting, ground transportation, and logistics.

“We continue to support fam tours as a sound investment of our tourism budget,” said Tenorio. “With a little bit of support from MVA and our members, the NMI reaps a tremendous return in promotions.”

The estimated exposure value of the Asahi News Star programs featuring Saipan and Tinian is $132,000. [B][I](MVA)[/I][/B]