MVA remains optimistic with China

The Marianas Visitors Authority maintains an optimistic attitude about Chinese tourism amid the market’s lackluster performance during the first half of the year.

Arrivals from China totaled only 14,285 between January and June 2005, barely 30 percent of MVA’s target of 50,000 Chinese visitors for 2005. In order to reach this target, the Northern Marianas will need to attract over 35,000 more Chinese tourists during the remaining half of the year.

The figure for the first half of 2005 also represents a relatively weak 12-percent growth over the same period last year. MVA itself set its target of 50,000 Chinese visitors based on expectations that China arrivals would shoot up once the Commonwealth received the approved destination status from the Chinese government. The China National Tourism Authority granted the ADS to the Northern Marianas on Dec. 30, 2004.

In a statement, MVA managing director Vicky Benavente expressed hope that arrivals from China would increase dramatically in the second half of 2005, when the destination’s high season takes place.

She also outlined the “notable progress” made by the CNMI in developing the China market.

In 2004, the MVA invested more than $450,000 into the China market for marketing and promotions. MVA also has upgraded its social facilities, initiated new programs to bolster supporting services and has assisted its members in improving their ground operations.

In order to promote Chinese tourism to the CNMI and foster closer relationships with the country’s media and travel agents, MVA appointed international marketing communications agency Ruder Finn Asia as its representative in China.

Ruder Finn provides the MVA physical presence in four key cities: Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Following the signing of the Commonwealth’s ADS agreement with the Chinese government, MVA participated in the World Travel Fair 2005 in Shanghai in January 2005.

MVA also conducted public events in cooperation with other qualified brands. In May 2005, MVA launched a competition with the Diamond Trading Company to promote wedding tourism to the CNMI. The program attracted more than 100 couples from China’s major cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Tianjin and Dalian.

Marketing strategies have been adjusted to suit the specific needs of the Chinese market. Last July, MVA worked with Century Tours to promote MICE services at the China International Business & Incentive Travel Mart 2005 in Beijing.

This October, MVA will work with Shanghai Tourism Administration to organize the Rose Wedding Formality, the biggest group wedding ceremony in the Shanghai market in the CNMI.

Online promotions also form part of MVA’s future plans for the China market.

For the convenience of visitors from China, MVA offers tailor-made maps and brochures in English, traditional Chinese and simplified Chinese. It has opened hot lines in four offices to answer inquiries from consumers, the media, and the industry and launched a Chinese language website for easy to access information for Chinese consumers.

“Tourism is an important economic activity for the CNMI and the MVA is devoted to promoting our natural, beautiful and unique islands to all of China. We hope that Chinese visitors will experience a special holiday here,” said Benavente.