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MVA members put in more than $32K at Japan travel, trade fair
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Posted on Oct 06 2004
The Marianas—Saipan, Tinian, and Rota—was recently showcased at the largest trade and travel fair in Japan. The Japan Association of Travel Agents and World Trade Fair were held in Tokyo, Japan, on Sept. 23-26, 2004.
The fair featured more than 700 booths and attracted 101,641 travel trade professionals, media and consumers during the three-day event.
The Marianas Visitors Authority, together with 15 of its members in the private sector of the tourism industry, joined together to stimulate greater awareness of the CNMI as a vacation destination and its attributes and activities.
“The MVA members dedicated their resources to a successful presence at JATA-WTF this year. We had a total of nine months of planning and exchanging ideas in order to create a distinctive presence. We could not have been as successful without the MVA members’ support and contributions to this program,” said MVA managing director Vicky Benavente.
The MVA received more than $32,000 worth of in-kind support from the MVA members that were used for the JATA-WTF 2004. Among the top contributors were JALWAYS, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines, who contributed between $3,000 to $9,000 in discounted air tickets and cargo shipment to Japan. In addition, SandCastle Saipan, DFS Galleria, JSTA, Dai-Ichi Hotel Saipan Beach, Saipan Sunset Cruise, Saipan Sea Ventures, Tasi Tours and PDI contributed $1,000 to $2,500 dollars worth of prizes for use at the Marianas Seminar and Workshop and the CNMI’s presence at JATA-WTF Fair.
“It is the partnerships that make the destination successful at these types of marketing events. The MVA is fortunate to have a strong working relationship with the businesses involved in the tourism industry,” said Benavente.
The JATA/World Travel Fair provided a unique opportunity for travel trade and exhibition of destinations to travel agents, media representatives, and consumers in Japan.
