MVA sees added visitors with new Cape Air flights

With the launching of Cape Air flights servicing the CNMI and Guam, the Marianas Visitors Authority sees improved tourist traffic between the islands, consistent with collaborative efforts to promote the entire Micronesia as a tourist destination.

MVA managing director Vicky Benavente noted the flights’ exponential impact to the tourism industry, besides providing more airline seats and reduced airfare for passengers.

The partnership between Cape Air and Continental Airlines, dubbed as the Continental Connection, brings to seven the number of daily flights for the Guam-Rota-Saipan flights.

Cape Air uses 46-seater ATR-42 aircraft that service the islands. Two of the flights service Guam and Saipan using Continental’s Boeing 737-800 jet aircraft.

Benavente said the Continental Connection flights would boost visitor arrivals from Guam, the CNMI’s fourth largest tourist market.

“It [Cape Air] will provide the opportunity to further promote interisland or multiple destination travel between Guam and the CNMI. With the five times flight per day, this will stimulate demand to the islands because it offers our travelers convenience and flexibility to visit the islands,” the MVA managing director said.

MVA statistics show visitor arrivals from Guam reaching 1,680 last July. Guam ranks next to the CNMI’s three major tourist markets—Japan, Korea, and China.

“The Guam market is important to the CNMI not only due to the residents of Guam but also existing and potential visitors looking for multi-travel experience in Micronesia. Interisland travel between Guam and the CNMI offers a new attraction as an optional tour to our visitors and residents alike,” she said.

Benavente said visitors on Guam would have the option to fly to the Northern Marianas through convenient flight connections. As such, the MVA sees future growth in other tourist markets such as Europe, Australia, and the United States.

Cape Air’s decision to service the islands realized the MVA’s effort to increase air traffic between the islands for a regional tourism promotion.

“It [Cape Air] will assist us in our efforts with the Bisita Marianas campaign, which will focus on establishing regional promotions between the CNMI and Guam,” Benavente said. “[The MVA] is looking forward to promoting the CNMI on a regional basis and, at the same time, to further strengthening our marketing efforts in multi-destination travel.”

The Cape Air-Continental Micronesia partnership bared plans to possibly expand services to other Micronesian islands, such as Tinian, Yap, and Palau. Continental Connection is studying if it can use Cessna 402 aircraft for other markets in the Micronesian region.