The Marianas Visitors Authority has yet to launch the Japan travel bubble due to the daily increase of COVID-19 cases in Japan, particularly the highly transmissible omicron variant. <\/p>\n
Initially MVA\u2019s target launch for the Japan travel bubble was December but due to the increase in omicron-positive cases in Japan, the launch has been pushed back and remains uncertain. <\/p>\n
In short statement from MVA managing director Priscilla Iakopo, she said that MVA continues to monitor the situation in Japan and other market sources before moving forward and launching a travel bubble. <\/p>\n
\u201cDue to the omicron variant, we are closely monitoring other source markets such as Japan as the daily cases in Tokyo, Japan are increasing,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
According to a previous article on the Saipan Tribune, MVA had expected to launch the Japan travel bubble by mid-December to early January with the first step being to inform the Japan Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Health about the CNMI\u2019s interest in reopening the route between Japan and the CNMI.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were advised [by MVA Japan office] that December is probably a good target date as vaccination rates in Japan continue to [accelerate], as well as how the Japan government is also controlling the cases there. We understand that the Japan government has not been pushing to entertain any travel bubble with any other destination right now because they\u2019re really trying to control their COVID-19 cases there,\u201d Iakopo had said in that earlier interview.<\/p>\n
Back in September, TRIP Japan ad hoc committee chair Nick Nishikawa started discussions with the MVA Japan office on how they will carry out the first steps in establishing the Japan travel bubble.<\/p>\n
MVA board chair Viola Alepuyo said in a previous MVA board meeting that it is important to aggressively push forward with the Japan travel bubble. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe only have one thing that we can sell right now, and that\u2019s how safe our community is. That\u2019s a marketing tool that nobody else in our region can boast of. Let\u2019s use that marketing tool and be aggressive to establish the other travel bubbles so that we can get the tourists coming in in order to boost our economy,\u201d she had said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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