PATA eyes Chinese outbound market • But CNMI’s ban on PROC tourists may sidestep local tourism

In a move to widen the market base of the Micronesian region, the Pacific Asia Travel Association is planning to tap the huge tourism market in mainland China, said Sharon Hannaford, PATA Pacific Division managing director.

But the Northern Marianas, which has banned the entry PROC nationals into the Commonwealth, may just be left behind in the campaign of the region to develop the Chinese market.

During the three-day PATA Micronesia Chapter meeting in Saipan, tourism officials from various islands in the region discussed how to exploit the Chinese outbound market and sell the different destinations in Micronesia.

“We can’t wait until they (Chinese) start traveling and without us informing them of what we can offer. We have to start the groundwork now,” said Ms. Hannaford.

This is the first time that PATA Micronesia has moved to maximize the potential of the huge outbound Chinese market.

PATA International is set to hold its meeting in Hong Kong early next year with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 travel experts from all over the world expected to attend the conference. A sales mission to mainland China may be held in April 2000.

While Japan will remain the biggest market in Micronesia, Ms. Hannaford said the region cannot ignore the Chinese market which promises to provide a huge source of visitors for the region.

Ms. Hannaford said the Micronesian region should also begin tapping other segments in the Japanese market, namely the educational tour for students, family tours and senior travelers.

“Japan is no doubt still the biggest source of tourists but we have to look for new opportunities, new markets that we can tap,” she said.

Greg Schulte, PATA Micronesia Chapter Secretariat, said the Asian recession has taught many people in the travel industry to begin looking at other markets since the U.S. dollar currency in the region has made the destination in Micronesia more expensive compared to Asia. He noted that a package tour in Indonesia alone is only one-third of the cost of a package tour in Micronesia.

Marianas Visitors Authority Board Chairman Dave M. Sablan has been pushing for the plan to entice tourists from mainland China visit the CNMI in a move to help the sagging tourism economy.

MVA is eyeing the Chinese market which many people believe would also help save the beleaguered Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino.

Unfortunately, the Department of Labor and Immigration has suspended indefinitely the issuance of entry permits to citizens of the People’s Republic of China due to refusal of Chinese officials to cooperate in accepting the return of its nationals deported from the Commonwealth.

To convince the administration relax its immigration laws on tourists from PROC, Mr. Sablan has proposed a set of guidelines to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio to be followed in allowing the entry of Chinese nationals into the Northern Marianas.

According to Mr. Sablan, nonresident workers from China should be treated differently since the immigration office would use a separate procedure before they are allowed entry into the CNMI.