With the COVID-19 pandemic, what’s next for NMI tourism?

With the CNMI’s tourism industry at a standstill, what’s next for the Commonwealth?

With the COVID-19 pandemic laying bare the vulnerability of the local economy—with the revenue downturn from the lack of tourists in the CNMI, mass layoffs, businesses and hotels closing, and even the government shutting down—the question of what’s next for the CNMI’s primary economic driver is paramount on everyone’s mind these days.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres emphasized, though, that, while revenue from tourism is important, the health of the community is the government’s priority.

“As much as our revenue here is derived from our tourism, our priority and my priority, with the administration and public health, is our [health],” Torres said in an interview.

While he does hope that the islands can have the tourists back, he does not foresee tourism numbers growing in the CNMI soon while the COVID-19 pandemic in ongoing. “I hope that this year, in the next several months,” Torres said when asked when expects to open the CNMI to tourism again. The governor was quick to add, though, that he “honestly does not foresee the tourism industry opening up.”

The governor also added that even if Saipan gets clear and becomes coronavirus-free in the next month or two, the industry would still be in a freeze, given that Asia is the CNMI’s tourism market.

He also foresees the CNMI tourism industry changing due to the pandemic. “We’ve done so much precautionary measures, so much preventive measures, that even our tourism industry is going to change.”

He hinted that there would be an added layer of security that the Marianas Visitors Authority is planning to implement, such as requiring visitors to be tested for COVID-19. “Our tourists that come here, we welcome them, when and if we open those borders, but we would want to have our own test kits ready here and mandate every tourist that comes to the island to get our own test here, and get swabbed here, and make sure that everybody that’s landing will go through the same process.”

The governor said that tourism measures are being planned ahead, with MVA, to protect everyone in the CNMI. “That’s a security for us, and also security for our tourists. I know that we don’t have tourists coming in yet but…we’re already planning ahead, what we should do here…to protect our nurses and doctors and everybody so that CNMI is viewed as a tourist destination that is safe…[with] our beautiful, natural habitat, and the environment.”

MD: With the COVID-19 pandemic, what’s next for CNMI’s tourism?

KW: Tourism, COVID-19, Marianas Visitors Authority.