MVA Getting Ready to Launch Social Media Sites

The Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) is firing up new sites at You Tube, Twitter, Facebook, a Google blog site and a brand new English language web site all to be cross linked with each other and with our Japanese, Korean, and Chinese Language sites.  Please bear with us as we put all these social media together and help make travel to and living in Saipan, Tinian and Rota easier, more accessible and more interactive. 

As these sites are completed and move out of the Beta phase, we’ll let you know about the Launch date and Grand Opening of our social media offerings. Meanwhile, sit back, relax and enjoy the postings as they come up and please feel free to join in and to pass the word around.  There are some exciting things to come and a couple of new surprises too.  Please stay tuned here and keep an eye open for the new sites also.

Bruce Bateman

MVA

NMI June 2011 Visitor Arrivals Down 17%

Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) – June 2011 visitor arrivals to the Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) were down 17 percent compared to June 2010, as the beach destination continues to feel the negative effects of the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. According to the Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA), arrivals to the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota registered 23,604 visitors in June compared to 28,372 in June 2010. Overall, visitor arrivals are down 5 percent this fiscal year to 251,992 visitors. Arrivals from Japan dropped 36 percent to 8,645. In addition to travel being dampened by the earthquake, in June 2011 the NMI received only two daily flights from Narita compared to three daily flights in June 2010. Overall arrivals from Japan this fiscal year are down 14 percent. The industry in Japan, however, is already seeing a gradual recovery in July and August and arrivals from the key Japan market are expected to gradually improve as the peak summer season begins. Flights from Osaka resumed in mid-July and will continue through August. Meanwhile, arrivals from the primary market of Korea dropped 21 percent in June to 7,064 arrivals. In addition to travel from Korea being negatively impacted by the Japan earthquake, Asiana Airlines decreased the number of daytime flights from Incheon to Saipan from four to two flights weekly in May, resulting in a loss of 1,250 seats during June. In addition, flights from Busan were terminated in early June. Targeting the upcoming summer peak season, however, Asiana has already restored the number of Incheon to Saipan daytime flights from two to four weekly starting July 19. Asiana is also adding an extra charter flight via Airbus 321 with 144 seats on August 3. The secondary market of China saw 5,129 arrivals in June, a 123 percent increasecompared to the same month last year. This was largely due to two additional weekly charter flights by Sichuan Airlines from both Shanghai and Guangzhou. Arrivals from the lucrative market of Russia posted a seventh consecutive month of gain, rising 15 percent to 558, while arrivals from the Philippines also rose 15 percent to 45. Arrivals from all other markets were down in June 2011: Guam (-23 percent to 1,363), Taiwan (-25 percent to 9), and Other Areas (-42 percent to 208). Arrivals from the United States were down 44 percent to 583, as the Northern Marianas was visited by a military ship in June 2010.

Japan and Korea Economic Highlights. The Japanese Cabinet Office upgraded its monthly economic report for the first time since the devastating earthquake in March, noting upward movements are observed in the Japanese economy while difficulties continue to prevail due to the aftermath of the earthquake. The latest package tour booking survey by travel industry publication Travel Journal shows positive signs for this summer. Out of the eight major wholesalers included in the survey, two companies are seeing more bookings than last year for June and July, and three companies are welcoming more bookings in August. Travel Journal believes this finally signals a recovery in family and corporate travel. Some wholesalers remarked they expect additional increases in the coming weeks as workers’ are paid their summer bonuses and more last minute demand comes in. Venture Republic, the company behind destination comparison website Travel.jp, did its own survey on summer travel, and found that 48 percent of Japanese plan to travel domestically, compared to 16 percent who plan to go overseas. As for purpose of travel, 26 percent of overseas travelers said they wanted to visit beach resorts, closely followed by historic buildings/monuments at 26 percent and gourmet/food at percent. In Korea, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the Korean economy will grow by 4.5 percent this year, down from the 5 percent projected in December last year. According to the Korea Tourism Organization, the number of Korean outbound travelers in May was 1,014,409, a decrease of 0.9 percent compared to the same month in 2010. The total number of Korean outbound travelers from January to May was 5,110,225, an increase of 3.5 percent compared to the same period of 2010.

RUSSIAN TV SHOW TO GIVE $45-M PUBLICITY ON NMI UNIQUENESS

Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) –Popular Russian television host Michael Shirvindt will feature the Northern Mariana Islands on his highly rated show beginning in September 2011 bringing an estimated $45-million in international exposure to this beach resort destination.
Saipan, Tinian and Rota are becoming increasingly popular with Russian travelers seeking a clean, quiet and safe Pacific getaway.Shirvindt hosts the leading Russian TV tourism and destination program, "I Want to Know Everything with Michael Shirvindt,” and recently concluded taping for the show on three islands. The show, called “Hochu Znat’” in Russian, airs internationally to 250-million Russianspeakers in Russia, other former Soviet states, Asia, Australia, the United States, and other areas. “The anticipated ad exposure for this show exclusively about the Northern Marianas is the largest FAM(iliariziation) tour opportunity we’ve seen from Russia, yet,” said Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) Marketing Manager Bruce Bateman. “The MVA was pleased to partner with Hochu Znat’ on air transportation, facilitation and film permitting, as Russia is an important visitors market we must capitalize on, as much as our meager resources will allow. Thanks to help from our partners and MVA members, we were able to do just that in this case.”

The show will feature what makes the Northern Marianas unique in the world, based on 19 topics suggested by the MVA, including the Marianas Trench, indigenous Chamorro latte stones, the Marianas Butterfly Fish, and more. The show will run as a series until September
2012. During their 6-day tour the show crew visited the Flame Tree Arts Festival, Managaha, American Memorial Park, Saipan Zoo, Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino, and a local farm and garden. The crew also took a submarine tour, went trolling, took island tours of Tinian and Rota, took an aerial tour of Saipan, and filmed coconut frond weaving, banana printing, Bo Jo Bo doll
production, indigenous Carolinian open ocean navigation, local food preparation, local dances, tuba (indigenous coconut-based alcohol) making, noni production and more. The crew lodged at Mariana Resort & Spa, Rota Resort, and Saipan World Resort during their visit and also sampled the culinary offerings of other major hotels, including Saipan Grand Hotel, Aqua Resort Club, Pacific Islands Club Saipan, and Hyatt Regency Saipan.

“Since the Northern Marianas first started marketing to Russians in 1996, we have seen this market grow to 7% of total tourism revenue even with federalization of NMI immigration,” said Bateman. “With the average Russian visitor spending 4.5 times as much as other Asian visitors, Russia remains an important and growing contributor to the Northern Marianas’ tourism economy. The FAM tour was also supported by Saipan Sea Venture, Subsea, Saipan Zoo, PDI,Belka Tours, Tasi Tours, Bay Breeze Snack Bar, Star Marianas, and Saipan Events.