SPECIAL REPORT: Are we ready?

For the past two years, the CNMI has been tirelessly working to kick-start the resumption of its tourism industry, which was devastated globally by the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts toward this end has had some success, and the numbers are trickling up bit by bit, with some industry experts predicting the full-blown resumption of tourism by 2024 or 2025. Which begs the question: At this point, with the number of returning tourists still rising, are we ready for them?

Fifty-four percent of respondents in a Saipan Tribune poll that asks that questions says yes, but a surprisingly large percentage (42.05%) says no, while a negligible 3.41% are undecided. A cursory look at some of the more popular tourist sites on the islands paints a stark picture. Since the onslaught of catastrophic super typhoons Soudelor and Yutu back in 2015 and 2018, respectively, the CNMI’s tourism industry was crippled, and it took years for the industry to regain momentum. Then came 2020, when the world was hit with the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, the CNMI’s tourism industry, which still bore fresh scars from Yutu and Soudelor, was brought to its knees, plunging to near zero visitors.

Because of these circumstances, many of our tourist sites were left to deteriorate and were left unattended as the CNMI focused much of its resources into rebuilding. Some of the most visited sites on island—the Banzai Cliff, Bird Island Lookout, and Suicide Cliff—were left unchecked and to date remain unsafe and unseemly.

Saipan Tribune visited these sites in the last week and, once again, what we found insistently begs the question: Are we ready to receive tourists?

Take the Banzai Cliff for example. Its cement rails have seen better days, to put it mildly. Aside from the fact that these railings are no longer stable, large chunks of it have rotted away, making them completely unsafe for adults and children alike.

Next is Bird Island Lookout. Going up there in itself is a challenge. Patches and stretches of the once smoothly laid asphalt have become deformed and potholed, making for a challenging trip to the site. In addition, the Bird Island Lookout site itself has also become unsafe, with large chunks of the railings completely broken off.

Suicide Cliff, although a little less dangerous compared to the other two, no longer holds its charm. The once-historic site is now so heavily vandalized that the history is no longer the highlight of the area.

Aside from the three, other tourist spots on Marpi have lost their luster and have become a cause for concern as tourist continue to return.

Gloria Cavanagh, the acting Marianas Visitors Authority board chair, herself acknowledges that the island is not ready to receive tourists. The hotels, yes, they are ready, but the tourist sites are a different story.

“We do have to look at our destination enhancement. That’s the biggest part. There are some safety issues that we need to address. However, when it comes to our hotels, we are ready. Our hotels have been investing [in the CNMI],” she said.

Cavanagh added that destination enhancement does not only fall on the hands of MVA, but with its partner agencies who they are working with to garner enough funds for much needed revival of these sites.

“We would have to work with our other agency partners like Department of Public Works and Department of Lands and Natural Resources and see if we can combine whatever funds we have to enhance our destination. We are also trying to see what we have available. When it comes to repair work and reviving the sites, [jurisdiction] is also still an issue,” she said.

In an interview with acting DLNR Division of Parks and Recreation director Ray Sablan, he said that DLNR has the personnel, they have the trades and skills to do much needed repair work, but it all boils down to revenue.

“The funding to renovate these sites is the big question mark. We have the trades, we have skilled personnel who are ready to work on these sites, but we don’t have the revenue for it,” he said.