As of last week, the CNMI has already seen nearly 5,000 travelers from South Korea who are participating in the Marianas Visitors Authority\u2019s Tourism Resumption Investment Program, or TRIP.<\/p>\n
According to acting MVA managing director Judy Torres, from October to Dec. 16, a total of 4,834 South Koreans have visited the CNMI under the TRIP Program. <\/p>\n
Breaking it down, Torres said the CNMI had a total of 1983 tourists in October, 2,121 in November, and 730 TRIP participants from Dec. 1 to 16. <\/p>\n
She noted that the CNMI did have a significant number of cancellations due to the spread of the omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus but the TRIP program has been relatively successful so far. She declined to provide specific numbers on the cancellations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing that the spread of the new omicron variant is causing a concerning number of booking cancellations, so the MVA board will need to revisit\u00a0TRIP\u00a0to evaluate what changes may be needed to continue to support the continued revival of tourism and job security for the community,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Fortunately, despite the cancellations, the CNMI is heading down the right track in jumpstarting tourism with a number of TRIP participants now opting to pay for their own lodging.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn a positive note, we have been receiving some visitors who have been paying their own hotel accommodations since the hybrid-quarantine requirement under\u00a0TRIP\u00a0was lifted last month,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Also, Torres said MVA will be reducing travel buck incentives from up to $250-$500\/person per island to just $100\/person at a flat rate, which she described as another step in the right direction in reviving the tourism industry. <\/p>\n
\u201cTravel Bucks, which can only be spent in the Marianas, are still necessary for the Marianas to remain competitive with competing destinations\u2014like Guam\u2014which are offering similar incentives but to the airlines.\u00a0 We plan to continue to provide PCR tests required for the passenger\u2019s return to Korea. I should note that prior to omicron, airline incentives have not been utilized for any flight in October and November,\u201d she said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Moving forward, Torres said, MVA is looking at the continued success of the program now that it has been extended to January 2022. <\/p>\n
\u201cWith the successful jumpstart of the Marianas tourism economy through the\u00a0TRIP\u00a0program, the outlook for continued gains had been positive for the new year. This included the anticipated doubling of flights from South Korea to Saipan from three times weekly to six-time weekly beginning in early January,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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