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MVA’s Tan pushes for enhancement of Rota, Tinian
Marianas Visitors Authority board member Jerry Tan brought up the idea of enhancing Rota and Tinian as unique destinations apart from Saipan in order to improve the economic activity on the two neighboring islands.
During MVA’s regular board meeting last Oct. 27, Tan said he wanted to see what the tourism body is committed to doing for the improvements of Rota and Tinian as a destination.
“I was mentioning the kind of development that we are experiencing on Saipan, and thought it’s time for MVA to also examine the potential and opportunity of Rota and Tinian as tourist destinations,” said Tan. “If we are able to make Rota and Tinian offer a great experience for our tourists, it makes the CNMI a better destination overall, because we can offer three islands instead of one. That would differentiate us from Guam, and bring us closer to destinations such as Hawaii. We have that opportunity, so it makes sense for the CNMI as an overall destination.”
Tan cited the problems that are being experienced here on Saipan—traffic, inadequate infrastructure, power generation, and inadequate hotel room supply—and mentioned that Rota and Tinian could provide possible solutions.
Tan also mentioned that a tour package offer to Chinese and Russian tourists seems sensible since they usually stay for about six to seven days and three to four days, respectively.
Also, by bringing tourists to these islands, they will get to appreciate Rota’s and Tinian’s natural beauty, Tan said.
To tackle the transportation problems, Tan thinks MVA must first invest on Rota and Tinian before airlines could start offering flights to and from the two islands.
MVA board member Vince Calvo agreed with Tan’s push for the development of Rota and Tinian as a tourist destination.
MVA managing director Chris Concepcion said that MVA would be producing a master plan wherein Rota, Tinian, and maybe even the Northern Islands would be included.
