What should we do NOW to promote the NMI?

By KOKI NARITA
Special to the Saipan Tribune

Last of a four-part series

Editor’s Note: The following is a letter submitted by the author to the Office of the Governor, the Legislature and the Marianas Visitors Authority. The letter was made available to the media. Mr. Narita is a Japanese with extensive experience in the tourism business, beginning in Guam in the early ’70s and ending on Saipan in the early 2000. He was involved with the Japan Travel Bureau and its subsidiary companies for 41 years, six of these in Guam and 17 on Saipan, including three years as president of Kan Pacific Saipan Ltd., dba Mariana Resort & Spa. He was a board member of the Guam Visitors Bureau, the first president of Japan Guam Travel Association, Public Relations committee member of the Marianas Visitors Bureau, president of HANMI, and president of the Saipan Association of Travel Agent.

The administration should set up a tourist information center in Garapan. The administration could ask a shop owner to offer a space for free, just like the owner of Kinpachi, a Japanese restaurant, did in order to provide space to the Department of Public Safety to operate a Koban in Garapan. Alternatively, the personnel for the tourist information center will be supplied by tour operators on a rotation basis and at the request of the administration through MVA or some other government agency.

The administration should open an art gallery at the Sugar King park museum, where local painters and artists can display and sell their artwork, paintings, etc. This could very easily become another attraction for tourists.

A good, workable, and fair zoning law should be implemented as soon as possible so that everyone—locals and investors and tourists—can continue to enjoy the beautiful environment. Zoning does bring with it a greater level of understanding since it is clearer as to who can build what, when and where.

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With the critical situation of the CNMI economy, the governor should appoint a special assistant to the governor for tourism, who will be fully responsible for the development of the tourism industry, coordinating efforts with the Marianas Visitors Authority, Department of Public Lands, Department of Commerce, Coral Resources Management Office, Department of Agriculture, Division of Fish and Wildlife and other public and private organizations concerned so that governors will be able to make quick and appropriate decisions and carry them out.

According to a Marianas Variety article dated Jan. 17, acting Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas provided department employees with 16 procedures, which, it is hoped, will improve customer service. That is a good sign, showing the great enthusiasm of the new administration. This kind of improvement should not be implemented by just the Labor Department but should also be implemented by all other departments.

In conclusion, to represent the new administration’s posture, I suggest that you adopt the following slogan: The Five Star Promises of the New Administration.

The Five Star Promises are as follows:

1. We treat customers with respect and dignity.

2. We do everyday jobs with pro-business consciousness.

3. We challenge demands at all times.

4. We plan to take an action together with people.

5. We effectively use the taxes that are deposited by people.

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The past administration seems to have neglected to take good care of investors who were already here in the CNMI and have heavily invested. The new administration should not repeat the same mistake. New investors must continue to be welcomed but we must keep an equally receptive ear toward those who are already here. After all, news of whether the CNMI has or hasn’t a friendly investment climate travels fast and any investor thinking about coming will probably already have some information from those who are already here. Naturally, the study team will come and ask the investors who are already here if their business is successful or not. At that time, if those ex-investors will speak ill of rules and regulations, the manners and customs of CNMI administration, the new investor will surely give up the investment. Therefore, we must treat all investors—old and new—equally and in a friendly and mutually beneficial atmosphere if we are to lure more investors. The new administration will have to remain receptive to all investors and listen to all complaints and attempt to find solutions as quickly as possible.

In the Philippines, whenever the president makes the annual state of the nation speech to Congress, he or she would often ask all members of the chamber of commerce, itself being composed of different nationalities, to submit their requests, which will be reflected in the policies as much as possible. The reason why the president does that is that he or she thinks their economy is largely supported by investors. The situation of the CNMI economy is basically the same as the Philippine economy. The CNMI economy is also largely supported by investors from Japan, Korea, China, the Philippines, and so forth, so it will be necessary that the investors’ requests will be adopted or reflected in the CNMI’s economic development.

The administration should respond to any and all complaints by investors because all investors in the CNMI share almost the same problems. Again, as already pointed out above, dissatisfied investors will spread word of their negative experience in the CNMI and soon enough, no investors would be interested in coming to the CNMI if we are not careful about giving serious attention to problems experienced by current investors.

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Also, part of what drove many Japanese investors away was the runaway jury awards for civil actions initiated against big investors. Because of the many awards, Japanese insurance companies now hesitate to sell policies in the Commonwealth, leaving companies currently invested in the CNMI vulnerable to the strong possibility of having to deal with large jury awards and discouraging would-be investors from ever coming in the first place. I believe that the administration should take the necessary steps to place a cap on civil action cases.

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MVA board members should be elected as follows so that board member seats will be represented by all involved in the tourism industry in CNMI. The number of board members is eight in all as it is. Four are governor’s appointees and four are from the private sector. The governor’s appointees should be elected as follows: One from Rota, one from Tinian, and two from Saipan. The members from the private sector should be elected as follows: One from a group of airlines, one from a group of hotels and restaurants, one from a group of operators (inbound) bus companies, boat operators, marine sports operators and wedding ceremony companies, and one from a group of wholesale and retail shops.