‘Exposure saved NMI $38K in China ads’

The CNMI government said it saved some $38,000 in advertising costs in China, thanks to the free national media exposure it received during the Approved Destination Status signing on Dec. 30 in Beijing.

“We saved a substantial amount. If we had to pay for those, it would cost us some $38,000,” said governor’s press secretary Peter A. Callaghan.

He said that, based on figures cited by a consultant, the CNMI saved an average of $1,200 per media exposure.

Callaghan said the ADS signing was covered by at least 31 media outfits, including The Beijing Daily which could have charged $931 for photo news; Beijing Business Today, $841 for an article; The Beijing News, $900 for an article; www.163.com for $1,975; China Tourism News for a total of $3,600; Shanghai Post for over $300, and www.sina.com.cn for $2,370.

Other media organizations that covered the event included www.china.com, www.cnr.cn, www.esheji.com, www.yahoo.com.cn, www.xinhuanet.com, www.sohu.com, www.shm.com.cn, www.jfdaily.com.cn, www.jmnews.com.cn, www.online.cri.com.cn, www.radioguangzhou.com, www.takungpao.com, www.chinanews.com.cn, www.shangdu.com, www.runsky.com, www.tom.com, and www.hebei.com.cn.

Each exposure from these online news reportedly cost $1,235. www.sohu.com articles reportedly cost over $3,000.

Members of the CNMI delegation to China, headed by Gov. Juan N. Babauta, said they were overjoyed with the good media coverage. Babauta said the ADS signing was shown on national primetime TV news.

“We were in the national TV. The signing event was covered widely in the national media. We’re very happy,” said Babauta.

The governor said he led a press conference attended by 30 national journalists shortly after the ADS signing at the Beijing International Hotel.

That same evening, he said the CNMI hosted a dinner for the media and representatives from 42 travel agencies.

Babauta said that high government officials also attended the dinner, including Wang Ronghua of the China Civil Aviation Administration, Wang Seng of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Jin Xu of the Ministry of Commerce.

The CNMI expects to welcome some 50,000 tourists this year from China as a result of the signing. Chinese tourists tend to travel to ADS places as they are more easily arranged. ADS allows pre-organized tour groups.

Babauta noted that China travelers grew to 27 million in 2004 from about 20 million in 2002. He said that a survey by the World Tourism Organization shows that China is among the Top 10 countries in terms of outbound tourism.

The Chinese government allows its citizens to carry as much as $8,000 when traveling abroad, a 60-percent increase over previous limits.