CNMI visitor arrivals up 147% in May

Visitor arrivals to the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota grew 147% to 17,117 in May 2023, compared to 6,939 visitors received in May 2022, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority yesterday.

Year-to-date arrivals this fiscal year are already 1.5 times higher than total visitor arrivals last fiscal year, with May 2023 marking the highest monthly arrivals since before the pandemic.

Visitor arrivals from South Korea reached 13,911 compared to 5,303 in May last year. Strong demand in Korea has generated an abundance of air service to the Marianas. Low-cost carrier Jeju Air has announced it will increase its triple daily flights by adding one more daily flight beginning June 29, with flights from Busan launching on July 19 and continuing through August 30. T’Way also has daily flights from Seoul and is adding eight charter flights during the summer high peak season. Full-service carrier Asiana Airlines will increase from four flights a week to daily service in July through August 2023. By the end of fiscal year 2023, available air seats from Korea are projected to be restored to 80% of the number available before the pandemic.

The Marianas received 649 visitors from Japan in May 2023 compared to 37 visitors in May 2022. May marked the second highest monthly arrivals from Japan this fiscal year, despite the cancellation of four flights by lone carrier United Airlines from Tokyo due to Typhoon Mawar. In its marketing efforts, the MVA continues to face the obstacles of a strong U.S. dollar and a Japan national travel discount program that offers up to 20% discount to encourage domestic—rather than outbound—travel. Also, many Japanese are also still hesitant to travel due to fears of COVID-19, especially as a large percentage of Japanese children are not vaccinated. Amidst a number of marketing initiatives—including several recent media familiarization tours that have generated millions of dollars in ad exposure value for the destination—the MVA has extended its “Marianacation” promotion through August. According to the MVA, bookings for June and July are slightly higher than prior months.

Overall, visitor arrivals to the Marianas have recovered 41% visitor arrivals year-to-date compared to fiscal yeat 2019 before the pandemic. China, which rivalled South Korea as a top source market of tThe Marianas prior to the pandemic, registered 392 visitors arriving via Korea and Japan. In May the Marianas also received 1,438 visitors from USA, 515 visitors from Guam, and a combined 212 visitors from all other markets. (MVA)