Fiesta Resort, Kanoa Resort, Sorensen back MTEC summit

Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan general manager Wendi Herring and Kanoa Resort operations manager Glenn Policare, third and second right, present a $1,500 check on Jan. 3, 2020, for the Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit on Jan. 23, 2020. From left, Marianas Visitors Authority Community Projects manager and MTEC board member Martin Duenas, MVA Community Projects specialist Ray Villagomez, MTEC chair Vicky Benavente, Herring, Policare, and MVA Community Projects specialist Jack Aranda. (MTEC)

Local businesses continue to extend their support to the Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit on Jan. 23, 2020, with Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan, Kanoa Resort, and Sorensen Media Group joining the growing list of sponsors.

Executives of Fiesta Resort and Kanoa Resort presented a $1,500 check to the MTEC board on Jan. 3, 2020, and Sorenson Media Group has donated $1,000 worth of radio ads.

“Kanoa Resort Saipan, alongside Fiesta Resort and Spa, will always prioritize educating our youth about the importance of tourism and the opportunities it presents,” said Kanoa Resort director of operations Glenn Policare. “The annual summit allows the MYWAVE students to enjoy a day of activities and education while engaging with some of our industries leaders. Fiesta Resort [general manager] Wendi [Herring] and I look forward to the summit every year.”

Other summit sponsors are E-Land Group of Companies (Kensington Hotel and PIC Saipan), T Galleria by DFS, TSL Foundation, D&Q, Bridge Capital LLC, Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, IT&E, Matson Navigation Co., Triple J Saipan, and Saipan Ice & Water.

“It’s always been a pleasure for Sorensen Media Group to aid MTEC, whether it be through organizing golf fundraisers with them as we have done in the past or supporting this year’s summit, directly,” said Power 99 general manager James Nelson. “We are confident the participating students are going to learn a lot about the industry, have some fun doing it, and walk away with a better understanding that ‘Tourism is Everybody’s Business.’”

Marianas Tourism Education Council chair Vicky Benavente, second from right, receives $1,000 in radio ad sponsorship from Sorensen Media Group on Jan. 7, 2020, at Power 99 in Susupe, Saipan, for the MTEC Tourism Summit on Jan. 23, 2020. From left, MTEC board member Larry Lee, Power 99 general manager James Nelson, Benavente, and Power 99 asst. program director and “The Breakfast Show” host Santi “Big Boy”Sablan. (MTEC)

The theme of this year’s summit, co-organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority, is “VolunTOURISM: Learn today. Lead tomorrow.” reflecting the opportunities available to students to engage with the industry and learn today in preparation for the leadership roles they will take in the industry in the future. This year’s summit will be held at Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan with students from MY WAVE—Marianas Youth Welcome All Visitors Enthusiastically—Clubs in grades 5-12 chosen by their schools to participate.

The annual summit will feature Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance executive director Roberta Guerrero, CNMI Public School System middle school teacher Victor Cabrera, American Red Cross-Northern Mariana Islands Chapter executive director John Hirsch, and Saipan Chamber of Commerce financial and data management coordinator Franco M. Santos.

The summit will also feature exhibits by the MVA, MINA, Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History & Culture, Northern Marianas Trades Institute, Lions Club International, 500 Sails, and others.

For more information, contact MVA Community Projects specialist Jack Aranda at jaranda@mymarianas.com or MVA Community Projects manager Martin Duenas at mduenas@mymarianas.com or call 664-3210. (MTEC)