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MVA sets $145K limit for Korea marketing contract
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Posted on Oct 01 2004
The Marianas Visitors Authority has set a $145,000 limit in its request for proposals from individuals or companies interested in providing marketing and public relations services for the Korean market.
MVA put out the request for proposals in view of the approaching termination of its contract with Prime Asia System, which currently handles the CNMI tourism agency’s office in South Korea.
The terms of the new contract will be for a 12-month period, from Jan. 1,2005 to Dec. 31,2005, with an option to renew for additional two years. MVA’s maximum budget is $145,000 for the first year of the approved contract.
According to the RFP, proposals will be evaluated on the proposer’s detailed media plan outlining public relation activities to expand the CNMI’s tourism market in Korea.
MVA will also consider the proposer’s ability to provide timely market information, answer all in-country inquiries, advise MVA on economic conditions and promotional opportunities in Korea, and coordinate sales promotion seminars with air carriers, tour operators and other travel industry members, among other things.
“Price is also a factor that will be considered in addition to the technical merit of the proposal. As proposals become more equal in technical merit, the importance of price will increase,” MVA said.
The services to be required from the winning proposer include marketing, advertising, public relation, and development of the current Internet site www.visit-marianas.co.kr.
Korea is the second biggest tourism market of the Northern Mariana Islands. The market posted a huge decline in arrivals following Korean Airlines’ pullout from the CNMI early last year.
Korean Air’s decision, which was attributed to the then looming war on Iraq and problems between North Korea and South Korea, left Asiana Airlines as the only carrier serving the Korea-Saipan route. The impact of Korean Air’s pullout was further compounded by the SARS epidemic and the Iraq war outbreak.
Based on MVA arrival statistics, the islands received a total of 79,831 visitors from Korea, or a monthly average of 6,653 visitors. As of last August, the NMI has welcomed only 64,952 visitors, or 5,905 per month.
