Western Union link up with MITA Travel

Western Union Financial Services Inc., a worldwide leader in money transfer services, announced yesterday the launch of the Western Union Money Transfer® service in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This was made possible through Western Union’s new strategic relationship with Marianas International Travel Agency. The service is available at four locations: two on Saipan, one on Rota and one on Tinian.

According to the Department of Commerce’s Banking and Insurance Division report in 2003, the total money transferred from the islands in 2003 was $82 million. In addition, there is also a large presence of foreign workers in the islands, including Filipino and Chinese workers from overseas, as reported by the last 2000 census of population and housing conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce. All of these reflect the potential of the money transfer business in CNMI.

Western Union, along with its subsidiary, Orlandi Valuta offers an electronic money transfer service with a network of over 200,000 locations in more than 195 countries and territories.

“At Western Union we are constantly striving toward attaining complete customer satisfaction and network enhancement. This strategic relationship with MITA Travel establishes our presence in the CNMI and means that more people wishing to send or receive money have access to Western Union’s fast, reliable and convenient money transfer service,” said David Chin, regional manager, Pacific Islands, Western Union.

“MITA Travel’s strategic relationship with Western Union gives us an opportunity to expand our current array of services to include fast and convenient money transfer as we aim to serve our customers better,” said Juan T. Guerrero, founder, president and CEO of Juan T. Guerrero Group of Companies said. “The Western Union Money Transfer service is important for potential customers who need to send and receive money with a peace of mind.”

Western Union Financial Services Inc, a subsidiary of First Data Corp., is an international leader in consumer money transfer services. Consumers can quickly and reliably pay bills and transfer money around the globe using the company’s proprietary money transfer network. Western Union and its subsidiary, Orlandi Valuta, together make up one of the world’s largest money transfer networks with approximately 200,000 agent locations in more than 195 countries and territories.

Famous for its pioneering telegraph service, the original Western Union dates back to 1851 and introduced electronic money transfer service in 1871. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.westernunion.com.

First Date Corp., with global headquarters in Denver, helps power the global economy. Serving approximately 3.1 million merchant locations, 1,400 card issuers and millions of consumers, First Data makes it easy, fast and secure for people and businesses to buy goods and services, using virtually any form of payment: credit, debit, smart card, stored-value card or check at the point-of-sale, over the Internet or by money transfer. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.firstdata.com.

Mita Travel is the oldest privately-owned full service travel agency in the CNMI. Established and incorporated in 1982, Insurance and Business Management Corp., doing business as Marianas International Travel Agency, also uses its short name, Mita Travel, and has been offering outbound travel services to the local population since that time, offering these services to individual, government, group and corporate travelers. With the full endorsement of the International Airlines Travel Association Network since its inception in 1982, Mita Travel has maintained its position in the airline community by consistently achieving high marks for outstanding productivity amongst the carriers serving the Marianas. Mita Travel is one of the few travel agencies in the CNMI that is authorized to market and issue airline tickets from Continental Airlines/Cape Air, Northwest Airlines, Japan Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Philippines Airlines, Thai Airways, Pacific Islands Aviation, and Freedom Air.

In keeping with Mita’s vision of providing all travel and travel-related services to travelers from, within and to the Marianas, the company was appointed in 1998 as the American Express Representative Network Partner in the CNMI. As a travel services partner with American Express, Mita Travel acts as a card member servicing and payment processing center, sales and services of American Express Travelers’ cheques, and American Express merchant services.