![](\"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/images\/imgupload\/cc8ae2ce5107dc3ad87b57f070216f50.jpg\")
<\/p>\nIt’s rather disingenuous for GOP president Diego Benavente to be lecturing about tourism, as he did in a press release this week\u2014especially when the biggest exodus of Japanese hotels, airlines, and other investments happened on his watch, when he was lieutenant governor (2002-2006).<\/p>\n
Let me remind Mr. Benavente that nearly every hotel in the CNMI has changed hands at least once. As the former lieutenant governor surely remembers, when Japan Airlines pulled out of the CNMI during his administration, Nikko Hotel and La Fiesta Mall went with them. Nikko became Palms, and years later, Palms became Kensington, now owned by E-land.<\/p>\n
There are many other examples of hotels changing hands in the CNMI, including Coral Ocean Point from Suwaso to E-land; Pacific Islands Club from Ken Corp. to E-Land; Hafa Adai Hotel to Grandvrio; Intercontinental Hotel to Dai Ichi to Fiesta to Crowne Plaza; Laolao Bay Golf and Resort has also changed ownership.<\/p>\n
Hyatt Regency Saipan was also previously owned and sold by Continental Airlines, and current owner Saipan Portopia Corp will either assign its lease to another investor very soon or the Department of Public Lands will put the property out for bid. When the hotel reopens with a new owner and management, there will be new jobs to fill, because nearly all of Hyatt\u2019s former employees were quickly picked up by other establishments.<\/p>\n
Lots of hotels change hands. That is the nature of the business, and it\u2019s not the end of the world when it happens.<\/p>\n
As for the CNMI Republican Party\u2019s position that \u201cCNMI needs tourists from China\u201d and \u201cwe do not have the luxury of selecting other markets for travelers to the CNMI\u201d\u2014I suggest they take a look at the national Republican Party position on China and the letter that 32 Republican members of Congress recently wrote urging the Biden administration to apply B1\/B2 visa requirements for Chinese nationals entering the CNMI.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is imperative we deter Chinese Communist Party aggression, espionage, and transnational repression,\u201d these U.S. Republican lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the CNMI Republicans missed the memo\u2014or chose to ignore it.<\/p>\n
CNMI Republicans may have also missed the headlines for the past 30 years, or perhaps it\u2019s political amnesia that prompts them to describe the garment and gaming industries as \u201cindustries that supported our economy\u201d\u2014the two industries that tainted the CNMI\u2019s reputation more than any other, and associated our islands with human trafficking, labor exploitation, and immigration violations.<\/p>\n
Let me also remind Mr. Benavente that the CNMI lost critical tools for economic development and triggered federal intervention because of rampant abuses in the garment and gaming industries. If the CNMI Republican Party wants to take credit for that\u2014have at it. But I won’t hold my breath for any actual solutions from the same people who have done so much damage to both our government and economy over the years with bad policies and the plundering of public funds.<\/p>\n
To the people of the Commonwealth: Yes, we are facing difficult times; there is no question about that. Our current challenges were years in the making, and there will be no quick or easy fixes. Had the CNMI GOP not squandered all the funds provide to us by the federal government in the last three years, things would be a lot easier for all of us today.<\/p>\n
I have always said that tourists from mainland China are welcome to visit our islands, but they should be vetted and our borders must remain secure\u2014and for that, we need help from our federal partners.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, and out of necessity, we must\u2014and are working to\u2014shift our focus and resources to more secure and reliable markets with allied nations.<\/p>\n
As governor I am committed to do everything in my power to stabilize our fiscal condition, ensure our security, continue to deliver essential services, and execute plans for long-term improvements in infrastructure, education, and economic development. And I will be transparent about our progress\u2014as well as our struggles\u2014every step of the way.<\/p>\n
May God bless the people of the Northern Marianas.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Arnold I. Palacios<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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