‘Logistic: 1 cause of Dynasty’s demise’

Logistics is one of the reasons why Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino was forced to shut down, according to Pacific Century Inc. director James Chua. The hotel casino opened in the late ’90s but closed last year, with main investor Hong Kong Entertainment (Overseas) Investment Ltd. also filing for Chapter 11 protection.

Chua, whose company is involved in business development and project management and is a consultant of the Office of the Governor, said the owners did not see the future. The CNMI also experienced a big dip in tourist arrivals in mid-2000s—an effect of the global financial crisis.

“Basically, I believe the developer did not foresee the difficulties of bringing tourists and guests to Tinian. Logistics was one of the reasons. Until the logistics issues are resolved, it will always be hard to bring customers to Tinian,” said Chua.

Having no direct flights going to Tinian is another problem, making it an inconvenience for visitors. “So when [clients] come to the CNMI, to participate in gaming, they first arrive on Saipan and take another flight going to Tinian. It takes up more time of the visitor since they only have a limited time on their trip,” added Chua.

Rota would experience the same problem if ever an individual would want to invest in the CNMI’s most southernmost island. “They will be needing direct flights and if not possible, they have to resolve the transfer from Saipan to the other two islands—going there and back to Saipan.”

“It doesn’t mean they have to fly jet planes between the islands; it is not possible. But some kind of creative idea needs to be implemented so that customers will enjoy traveling between the three islands—Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. There are still a lot of issues they need to resolve before anything can be really launched,” said Chua.

He said the gaming industry could prosper in the CNMI. “I believe the CNMI has the opportunity to develop the gaming industry on the three islands. Saipan, Tinian, and Rota can have their own casinos but it must be different kinds, one must not be the same with the other.”

Tinian Dynasty remains closed up to now. Alter City Group is developing Puntan Diablo Cove into a $1.7-billion resort, while Bridge Investment Group is constructing its own Titanic-themed hotel near Kammer Beach.

Tinian Dynasty was the first of its kind in the Western Pacific and had a 75,000-square meter floor space for its casino with blackjack, Baccarat, and roulette as some of the favorite games.