MVA, Jeju Air host Russian travel agents, media

Russian media representatives visit Rota on Oct. 19, 2018, on a familiarization tour organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority and Jeju Air. (MVA Photos)

Media familiarization tours to the Marianas have resumed in the wake of Super Typhoon Yutu with Korea’s “Law of the Jungle” filming in Tinian and Rota over the last several days and more familiarization tours anticipated after the re-opening of the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport on Nov. 15, 2018.

Banking on convenient flight connections from the Russian Far East to the Marianas via Seoul, the Marianas Visitors Authority and Jeju Air also recently organized a familiarization tour for Russian travel agents and media.

The eight-member tour group visited Tinian, Rota, and Saipan on Oct. 17-21, 2018, to survey a wide variety of activities available for visitors.

“We were very pleased to organize this [familiarization] tour in cooperation with our airline partner Jeju Airline and to share our beautiful Marianas with travel agents who work closely with the airline and sell tours to the Marianas and media representatives,” said MVA managing director Christopher A. Concepcion. “Travel agents had a busy schedule of hotel inspections to create and propose the best options for Russian tourists traveling to the Marianas, while the media representatives were creating photo- and video-content for intensive promotion of the destination on SNS, online and offline media sources. Russian visitors are important to the Marianas, and we warmly welcome them, especially during the winter months!”

The media representatives included a blogger, a photographer and a journalist from Vladivostok, who will encourage high media coverage of the destination’s advantages in SNS and other media sources and whose photos and videos will be added to the MVA promotional library.

Accompanied by MVA marketing specialist Hillary Agulto and Social Media marketing specialist Rizza Janairo, the group had an opportunity to explore the beautiful nature, historical sites, museums, and other tourist sites during extensive tours of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

Stops included the Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History & Culture, American Memorial Park, Grotto, Kalabera Cave, Managaha, historic World War II north field, and House of Taga on Tinian, the Cave Museum on Rota, other historical sites and monuments, and more. The group also enjoyed a sunset cruise aboard the Jade Lady, the Garapan Street Market, and the Joyful Cultural Dinner Show at the Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan.

Participating travel agencies were PrimClub, Laguna and Biletur. Participating media outlets were a travel journalist from Siberian Travel Portal, an Instagram blogger and a photographer from the Tass media agency. (MVA)