CNMI named China’s No. 5 desirable destination

The Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota ranks in the Top 5 in a nationwide market survey of “Top 100 Most Desirable Destinations in the World” conducted by the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

The NMI ranked No. 5 in the eyes of Chinese consumers from among 300 top global destinations, with more than 1.48 million votes by Chinese netizens. The NMI now surpasses the rankings of such world-class destinations as Hawaii, Bali, and Phuket. The survey was conducted on May 12, 2016, by Mafengwo.cn, one of the most influential tourism websites in China with more than 100 million registered users and over 3.5 million daily page views.

“Being named one of the top destinations by the Chinese public is a tremendous acknowledgement of our marketing work and the unique experience the Northern Mariana Islands has to offer visitors,” said Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Christopher A. Concepcion. “Our pristine environment, warm climate, prestige as a U.S. destination, and proximity to China are all marketing tools we utilize in China, and it has paid off. The key now is to balance demand with sustainable grow.”

The MVA has been actively marketing the NMI in China in Beijing and Shanghai since opening representative offices in 2012, working closely with Chinese travel trade and media partners. The MVA expanded its reach to Guangzhou in July 2014 covering the South China market, will be launching a new presence in Hong Kong in June of this year in support of new flights from Hong Kong to the NMI, and is planning a Chengdu office to cover the entire West China market in the coming year.

The number of Chinese visitors to the NMI has dramatically increased since 2011. Fiscal Year 2015 was the fifth consecutive year of record-breaking numbers of Chinese visitors, exceeding 181,465 Chinese visitors to the Northern Marianas. China continues to see strong growth in visitor arrivals to the NMI this year, and the MVA expects to welcome over 200,000 Chinese visitors before the year ends.

The Northern Mariana Islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota are among the Top 5 “Most Desirable Destination in the World” as researched and published by China National Tourism Administration on their official social media sites in May 2016.