MVA woos Korean travel agents, media

In a move to increase the CNMI’s market share in Korea, the Marianas Visitors Authority has invited some 30 Korean travel agents and media representatives to attend the first Marianas Tourism Academy for the Korean market.

The visiting travel agents and journalists will be given a tour of the island as well as an overview of what the CNMI offers as a destination. A reception will be held tonight at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino which will be attended by Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, Lt. Gov. Jesus R. Sablan and tourism officials.

MVA has already held its sixth Marianas Tourism Academy for the Japanese market in a bid to increase its visibility in Japan, its main source of visitors.

The decision to offer the tourism academy to Korean tour operators and journalists was a result of the resurgence of the Korean market, according to Norman Berg, MVA marketing director. Since last year, visitor arrivals from Korea have steadily increased mainly due to the recovery of the Korean economy, which was severely battered by the regional crisis.

The pullout of Korean Air in August 1997 due to the tragic crash on Guam also contributed to the drastic decline in visitor arrivals from Korea.

Asiana Airlines is currently providing daily Seoul-Saipan flights and Pusan-Saipan three times a week. This bodes well for the CNMI since it has been having difficulty getting back its market share in Japan.

With these developments MVA is planning to increase the CNMI’s visibility in Korea to better highlight the island’s features as an ideal destination in the region.

MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan said he hopes Asiana will increase its flights to Saipan to hasten the recovery amid the plunge in the tourism economy.

“We would like to help revive the Korean market and we believe that by increasing more flights, we will be able to recover faster,” he said.

Korea is the CNMI’s second biggest source of tourists. Korean Air used to ferry an average of 12,000 passengers a month.

MVA has been eyeing the honeymoon market in Korea which is projected to increase continuously as some 400,000 couples are expected to get married this year. Many are expecting the CNMI to get a bigger share of the honeymoon market since the crash in neighboring island Guam is still fresh in the minds of many Koreans. (LFR)