‘More positive attractions needed in NMI’

More positive attractions are needed in the CNMI, not only to promote the islands as a positive tourist destination, but also to lessen the number of crimes, according to Department of Public Safety commissioner Edward Camacho.

Camacho said this yesterday in relation to the increase in crimes in the Marianas.

“[Crimes] really hurt us because we want to promote the Commonwealth as a safe tourist haven for family type activities,” he said. “Unfortunately, we don’t have many family oriented type of activities, for example, an aquarium, rides, a Six Flags… We are not a Disneyland, but we have poker arcades, and we use to have pachinko machines that Japanese tourists like, but those are gone and the poker machines are not necessarily catered to the tourism industry anymore, but are catered to the indigenous population.”

Camacho said the existing night clubs, adult video shops, and even shooting galleries play a role in providing a negative promotion.

“We shouldn’t be promoting those kind of things. If we want to promote our islands as the ‘true’ tourist destination, then we should get rid of all these things that invite drug users and dealers, prostitution, and people who enjoy doing those kinds of things. We need to clean it up,” he said.

Camacho said he supports the Garapan Revitalization project that is currently being worked on by the government.

“I like the movement of the Garapan revitalization. That will obviously reduce the number of vehicular traffic in an already congested area, and maybe zero it out all together,” he said. “I like the fact that we are creating one-way routes in there, and we need to go further and remove or zone out all these things that are not decent. Family oriented activities…we need more of those.”

Camacho said the need to return to a family-based lifestyle is needed at the present time.

“We need to get back to the basic, fundamental institution that we have as a culture, and that’s family,” he said. “It’s tough when kids get home and no one is there. It’s tough when dinner is not cooked, and its tough not to have family members that you want to be with. I understand that everybody is busy with jobs and working hard to make ends meet, but at the same time, those things won’t matter if we keep destroying the basic fundamentals of our livelihood, and that’s family.”

Camacho said those reasons may serve as cause for youths to turn to negative acts, and probably criminal acts as well.