MTEC Tourism Summit on Jan. 19 at Kensington

Dr. Bobby Cruz, State Education Agency director for Public School System Mental Health, will be one of the guest speakers at the 2023 Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit. (MTEC)

After a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Marianas Tourism Education Council’s Tourism Summit will return on Jan. 19, 2023, to engage students with information and activities focused on the Marianas’ primary economic driver, tourism.

Over 300 members of the schools’ MY WAVE — Marianas Youth Welcome All Visitors Enthusiastically — Clubs in grades 3-12 are anticipated to convene at Kensington Hotel Saipan for the day’s event, co-organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority. The theme of this year’s summit is, “We’re Back with Respect! Our People, Our Land, Our Guests,” reflecting the resumption of the Marianas tourism industry and the value of respect among the people of the Marianas, which includes respect for natural resources and visitors.

“The MTEC has been collaborating with CNMI public schools for 20 years, focusing on the message that tourism is everybody’s business,” said MTEC acting chairwoman Vicky Benavente. “Even at a young age, kids do understand the importance of caring for their environment, so that our islands can remain a great place for tourists to visit.”

The annual summit will feature Gordon Marciano, managing director and part-owner of tour company Pacific Development Inc.; Kuen-Hee Han, managing director of 500 Sails; and Dr. Bobby Cruz, State Education Agency director for Public School System Mental Health.

Gordon Marciano, managing director and part-owner of Pacific Development Inc., will be one of the guest speakers at the 2023 Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit on Jan. 19, 2023, at Kensington Hotel Saipan. (MTEC)

MTEC’s outreach activities this school year are supported by the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands and the Marianas Visitors Authority.

The summit will also feature educational exhibits by Northern Marianas Technical Institute, Northern Marianas Humanities Council, Northern Mariana Islands Museum of History & Culture, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife, among others.

Marciano began his career in the tourism industry as a child, when he was a part of one of the first indigenous dance groups to entertain Japanese visitors when the industry started. Over time, he has worked his way up through the ranks of PDI to the position of managing director. He is also a knowledgeable resource and advocate of indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian culture and is chairman of Chamolinian Cultural Village Inc.

Han serves with 500 Sails, a non-profit organization that works to revive, promote, and preserve the maritime cultural traditions of the Marianas through community engagement in canoe culture and activities. She holds master’s degrees in Korean Studies from Yonsei University’s Graduate School of International Studies and Columbia University.

“Although I was born in the Republic of Korea, my heart is in the CNMI,” said Han. “My move to Saipan was half induced by my inability to see how I can raise my little 4-year-old in the ultra-competitive South Korean environment and the need to start a new chapter in my life. I hope to bring about lasting change effective in how we forge relationships with our neighbors and nations—a change that will not only benefit my daughter who has reaped so much from what our islands have to give but to her entire generation and the next.”

500 Sails managing director Kuen-hee Han, left, and her daughter Soarin. Han will be one of the guest speakers at the 2023 Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit. (MTEC)

Cruz identifies with he/him pronouns and is a proud son of the Marianas with a doctorate in Educational Leadership. He is a longstanding educator, serving the Islands’ public school system for nearly two decades. Cruz believes that education is the weapon against poverty, and he hopes to inspire the youth the wield that weapon to do good for themselves and others.

For more information on MTEC, contact MVA community projects specialist Jack Aranda at jaranda@mymarianas.com. (MTEC)