MVA: Saipan-da most successful campaign

Marianas Visitors Authority board chair Marian Aldan-Pierce defended the agency’s continuing use of the Saipan-da mascot in its marketing campaigns, saying the symbol is effective and has proven to be the most successful campaign for years.

Speaking before hundreds of public school students in Thursday’s tourism summit, Aldan-Pierce said that Saipan-da was born when the Marianas badly needed a signature mark for its island. MVA started using the mascot for its promotional campaigns in 1998 and the campaign actually bagged a gold award from the Pacific Asia Travel Association for creating and re-branding the CNMI in the Japanese market and elsewhere.

Despite criticisms for using a non-indigenous animal mascot for its promotional activities, the tourism agency has continue to use it because for MVA, this is the most successful marketing tool that continues to bring money for the agency, Aldan-Pierce said. Saipan-da, she added, brings easy recall for the islands.

“We have to remember that ‘you are not the target of Saipan-da’…but the tourists who continue to visit our island. We must take pride in our animal [mascot],” she told the crowd.

Some sectors have criticized the MVA for using the animal as marketing tool for the Commonwealth as pandas do not exist here.

Aldan-Pierce encouraged the summit attendees to share with their families and friends how Saipan-da became popular and helped CNMI in its marketing efforts.

Besides the agency’s promotional efforts, Aldan-Pierce also explained to students the functions of the MVA and its board and the importance of tourism to the Commonwealth. Participants were also shown pictures of places and areas that need improvements and cleanup. She instilled in the minds of young attendees that they can do much for the tourism industry by simply keeping the environment clean and by showing visitors a hospitable attitude. She said the warm greetings of students will greatly entice tourists to return.

According to the MVA board chairperson, tourism is everybody’s business and is a 24/7 industry. Being the island’s sole economic driver, she emphasized that it needs high priority.

The CNMI experienced the highest peak of the industry in 1996 and 1997 when 726,690 tourists visited the islands. Since the pullout of Japan Airlines in 2005, the Commonwealth has not recovered from its loss.