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Hotel occupancy rate eases in March
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Posted on Apr 12 2000
The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands ( HANMI) yesterday disclosed that the hotel occupancy rate in the Commonwealth improved to 58.87 percent in March compared to the same period last year.
This is considered the lowest ever recorded in the past eight years in the Northern Marianas.
“Unfortunately, the numbers are a bit stagnant right now,” according to Ronald Sablan, president of HANMI. “March is traditionally a slow month for the CNMI, so hopefully, with efforts like those of the Tinian Dynasty, things will improve in the coming months,” he added.
While the demand for travel in Japan has shown some improvement, hotel managers said the limited capacity in airline seats remains the biggest problem in taking the CNMI out of economic slump.
HANMI believes that the best way to increase air seats is to create a demand on the destination which means carrying out an effective marketing campaign in selling the Northern Marianas.
Earlier occupancy record for the month of February was disappointing for HANMI since it is usually a peak period in the CNMI when Japanese travelers seek to enjoy the warm weather.
Hotels, whether large or small, have been dropping their rates in order to survive the slowdown in the island’s tourism economy.
But it is the small establishments, which have been greatly affected by the economic downturn, that have continuously dropped their room rates to stay afloat.
The hotel association has praised Japan Airlines for its decision to reduce air fare by as much as 70 percent for its charter flights from major Japanese cities starting next month as part of its commitment to bring in more tourists to the island.
Such efforts made by JAL show real commitment of the airline to promote the Northern Mariana Islands as a world-class tourist destination. JAL will introduce a special rate for Japanese tourists coming from Tokyo and Osaka cities.
Founded in 1983, HANMI is a professional organization made up of 20 leading hotels representing over 3,400 rooms in the CNMI.
The association supports and encourages cooperation among member hotels by prodding a forum for sharing ideas on issues of common concern.
