Mandarin Air brings hope to NMI’s tourism industry

It was a flight most people thought would never come in at least a couple of months after it canceled what could have been its maiden air transport service to Saipan Monday last week.

This is the reason why Commonwealth officials found themselves crumbling to prepare for the arrival of Mandarin Airlines executives Friday night when they received a faxed message from the Taiwan-based carrier that its aircraft will be landing on the Saipan International Airport a few hours later.

The economic promise of Mandarin Air’s decision to provide direct air transport service between Saipan and Taipei, however, outweighed the cramming to prepare a welcome ceremonies for the carrier’s maiden flight to the island in such a short notice.

Mandarin Air was originally scheduled to soar to CNMI skies Monday last week but had been prohibited by the absence of an authority to land from the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In an agreement reached in Taipei between the airline company and the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino, Mandarin Air will deploy charter flights to the Northern Marianas once every Monday and Friday.

“So, when our landing authorization was released, we decided that we will send our aircraft to Saipan immediately on the next scheduled flight,” said Mandarin Air president Michael Lo in an interview shortly after disembarking from a Boeing 737-800.

It was not very surprising at all for Mandarin Air to be able to dispatch its aircraft from Taipei to Saipan barely six hours after the FAA and the U.S. transportation department released its authorization to land in the CNMI.

Negotiations between Tinian Dynasty and the airline company’s executives for the agreement that cleared the road for charter flight services took only one month to be formalized and signed.

Mr. Lo said the Northern Marianas has great potentials to lure travelers from Taiwan because of the islands’ wide variety of attractions that range from water sports at the Saipan’s blue beaches to the casino gaming activities on Tinian and Rota’s natural landscape.

The Mandarin Air executive is confident that the Taipei-Northern Marianas route provides a good promise of productivity both for the Commonwealth and the airline company.

Mr. Lo said, however, that the good promise can be translated into economic and business growth only through an effective campaign and promotional strategy, which would require strong support from the Marianas Visitors Authority.

The airline is currently discussing with Taipei-based tour agents to promote among Taiwan travelers the Commonwealth’s Saipan, Tinian and Rota islands as an alternative destination for relaxation and recreation.

“The CNMI is a new destination for Taiwanese travelers. This early, there is already a growing number of people from Taiwan who have expressed interest to come here,” he told reporters.

Among the attractions Mr. Lo cited as the islands’ competitive advantage over other tour destinations are the CNMI’s golf courses, water sports like surfing and snorkeling, and the casino gaming activity on Tinian.

“Casino gaming is one major attraction,” he said, adding that Tinian Dynasty has the potential to lure Taiwan’s casino enthusiasts, as well as other possible tourism markets.

But one compelling quality offered by the Northern Marianas, which strengthens its position as a major tour destination among Taiwanese tourists, is the island’s peace and order situation.

Mr. Lo said the CNMI is one place where travelers from Taiwan can walk around even in the wee hours of the night without worrying about their safety and security.

“The island is very peaceful, which gives tourists a feeling of security. That’s very important,” he added.

With the beginning of direct air service between Taipei and Saipan, Commonwealth officials are expecting to get a good share of over five million Taiwanese who take overseas travels once every year.

According to Mr. Lo, at least one in every four Taiwanese travel abroad every year although mainland China has remained the most popular destination in recent years. The island-nation, which is home to over 22 million people, has one of the best standards of living in the world.

Due to the country’s economic stability, its citizens hold a very strong buying power that may spur business activities on the island especially on the purchase of excise or duty-free items.

Mandarin Air will be utilizing B737-800 aircraft in all of its charter flights between Taipei and Saipan. The aircraft can accommodate 158 passengers.

The airline company is confident that it will be able to bring in at least 118 people per flight to the CNMI. It has pledged to deploy 96 flights from Taipei to Saipan on its first year.

Mandarin Air is a subsidiary of China Airlines which was initially focused at servicing domestic routes in Taiwan. The carrier is however expanding to international flights.