DUE TO BUDGET CUT MVA may scrap some marketing plans

DUE TO BUDGET CUT
MVA may scrap some marketing plans

Tourism officials would have to eliminate some of its planned marketing campaigns after it was only given close to $6 million in budget for Fiscal Year 2001.

The Marianas Visitors Authority wanted an $8 million appropriation for next fiscal year but the House of Representatives approved only a $5.9 million budget for the tourism agency.

“We want to maintain our promotion based on the current spending level and even possibly include Europe,” said MVA Managing Director Perry John Tenorio.

While expressing confidence that MVA will still be able to do its job with the meager budget, Mr. Tenorio said increasing the promotional campaign in Taiwan and Hong Kong to widen the CNMI’s market base would need a additional money.

The economic recovery in Korea has shown a steady increase in arrivals of tourists from that country, which had suffered a tremendous decline during the Asian recession.

The direction of the promotional campaign of MVA in FY 2001 will depend on the results of the ongoing marketing evaluation conducted by a Japanese firm. Results of the survey will also determine whether the Saipanda campaign has somehow helped in attracting Japanese visitors to the destination.

MVA officials and members of the private sector recently arrived from a four-day participation in the World Travel Fair held in Tokyo.

The planned Capital Improvement Projects of MVA which would need an $8 million financing to improve tourist sites on the island municipalities of Saipan, Tinian and Rota, may have to wait for a while subject to the availability of funds.

Based on its original plan, MVA has set aside $3.7 million in advertising for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States and to a certain extent, the People’s Republic of China. Local advertising and promotion has been given a much smaller share with only $459,000.

Aside from promotional activities, maintenance of 85 tourist sites is also handled by MVA, which eats up a huge amount of the agency’s budget.

MVA Board Chair Dave M. Sablan believes that the other agencies of the government as well as the Mayor’s Office should coordinate with MVA in maintaining the tourist sites so that the job is not left on the tourism agency alone.