Korea-Rota charter flights planned

Rota could see a major jump in Korean visitors next year with a resort there and a local airline poised to launch chartered air service soon to the island from Korea, a move that could jumpstart Rota’s struggling tourism industry.

In an interview Monday, Rota Sen. Paul Manglona (R) said that Rota Resort and Freedom Air are preparing to unveil a promotional campaign in Korea Sept. 24 in partnership with travel agents there, advertising Rota as a prime destination for Korean tourists, who now represent a mere handful of the tourists that visit the island each year.

The kickoff comes ahead of the planned launch of a chartered air service deal, set begin in early 2009, Manglona said, adding the deal could attract up to 6,000 Korean visitors to Rota.

“This is really a milestone because if we’re successful with this one, it could translate into regular, direct flights from Korean also,” he said. “We hope to fill up our hotel rooms with travelers from Korea and that way they can come and play at the golf course and enjoy what Rota has to offer.”

Direct flight service, Manglona noted, is key for Rota’s tourism industry because travelers to Guam and the CNMI rarely spend the extra money needed to travel from the islands to Rota. The promotional campaign could see the inclusion of Rota in the package travel deals Korean travel agents sell, he said.

“Usually, when tourists are on Guam or Saipan, they don’t take that option to come to Rota because it’s expensive and it’s sometimes a last-moment thing,” he said. “But if you include them in Korean package deals, more people might take that option.”

News of the flights comes as local officials are eying the renewal of a similar deal inked with a tour company and Continental Airlines that brought chartered air service to Rota from Japan.

Henry S. Atalig, chief of the CNMI Department of Commerce’s branch on Rota, last week said those flights have bolstered the island’s economy and increased tourism by 10 percent and a renewal of the deal appears likely.

The flights hold the potential to help revive Rota’s suffering tourism economy. According to Marianas Visitors Authority statistics, visitor arrivals on the island in July of this year alone were down 43 percent.

Staff with Rota Resort and Freedom Air did not immediately respond to requests for comment.