MVA: HK tourists can still fly to Saipan via Guam

Despite Continental Micro-nesia’s decision to suspend its Saipan stopover service from Hong Kong effective Nov. 7, 2005, visitors from the former British colony can still continue to travel to Saipan via Guam.

The airline earlier stated that there are not enough numbers to sustain the stop on Saipan as the reason behind the suspension.

When Continental first started the Hong Kong-Saipan-Guam service earlier this year, the Marianas Visitors Authority conducted a large-scale industry and media campaign in Hong Kong followed by an ongoing media outreach program.

The campaign included news release distribution, interviews, story placement, media and trade familiarization tours, and trade seminars, totaling over $2.6 million in advertising value.

Because of the efforts of the MVA, Continental and the travel trade to promote the route over the past year, the CNMI has seen positive growth in passenger numbers as compared to last year. This is a result of the collective efforts for all parties to promote the route.

In addition, the Rose Wedding Formality Group visit from China will take place from Oct. 17-22, 2005. In accordance with Chinese laws, the couples will receive their wedding permits in China, and then the 100 Chinese wedding and honeymoon couples will visit the Marianas for a wedding celebration ceremony.

The celebration will take place on Saipan on Oct. 18, with an invitation to the governor to attend and present the couples with a commemorative certificate.

On Oct. 5, the MVA will take part in a flag presentation during the Shanghai Tourism Festival. Both major TV and print media in Shanghai will cover the presentation. It is estimated that the coverage value for the entire Rose Wedding Formality program will be $2 million and is estimated to reach approximately 1 million white-collar workers, including 2,000-3,000 potential wedding couples.

Rose Wedding Formality, or RWF, is a group wedding and honeymoon event, which started in 1998. The organizing committee chooses one outbound destination for those couples every year. RWF is a very influential event in the wedding market in Shanghai and surrounding provinces, such as Zhejian and Jiangsu. It is organized by the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration and the Shanghai Luwan District Tourism Administration. (PR)