March visitor arrivals up 19 percent

March 2012 visitor arrivals to the Northern Mariana Islands were up 19 percent compared to March 2011.

According to data issued by the Marianas Visitors Authority yesterday, visitor arrivals to the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota totaled 36,033 in March compared to 30,376 in March 2011. Overall, visitor arrivals are up 8 percent so far this fiscal year to 198,014 visitors.

Arrivals from Japan dropped 3 percent to 16,742 in March, as the CNMI received just two daily flights from Narita for most of the month, compared to three daily flights in March 2011.

Due to high demand during the peak travel season, however, Delta Air Lines operated a third weekly flight, and Asiana Airlines relaunched daily service from Osaka in December. Japan still comprises the largest percentage of visitors to the Northern Marianas.

Saipan Air is scheduled to launch daily flights from Narita beginning July 1, and daily flights from Osaka beginning Aug. 1, which will have a major impact on Japanese arrivals to the Northern Mariana Islands in the second half of this year.

Arrivals from Korea posted a second month of double-digit increase, up 33 percent to 9,431 visitors. Asiana Airlines operated its Busan-Saipan charter flights from November 2011 to April 2012. In addition, Asiana Airlines will resume regular second weekly service from Busan to Saipan starting June 13. This regular service had been suspended from June of last year due to lack of available aircraft.

Arrivals from China grew exponentially in March, increasing 157 percent to 6,779 visitors. The number of airseats more than doubled in February 2012 compared to February 2011, as last year, the Northern Marianas only had two flights per week from Shanghai, plus three charters from Beijing. So far this fiscal year, the Northern Marianas has received 92 percent more visitors from China as the same period last year.

Continued strong growth is also projected for the second half of this year with Saipan Air scheduled to launch four flights a week from Beijing beginning July 1, and three flights a week from Shenyang beginning Aug. 2. These new Saipan Air routes from China will provide the CNMI with regularly scheduled service out of two key markets in northern China, and together with the Shanghai and Guangzhou flights, represent a total of 13 direct flights from China to Saipan every week.

Meanwhile, arrivals were also up from Russia (6 percent to 688), the Philippines (34 percent increase to 47), and Other Areas (6 percent to 270). However, arrivals were lower in March from the United States (28 percent to 813), Guam (8 percent to 1,205), and Hong Kong (19 percent to 58).

The Japanese Cabinet Office’s March 2012 report states that Japan’s economy continues to pick up slowly. On March 29, 2012, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development estimated that Japan’s GDP will grow 3.4 percent in the January to March quarter, the highest growth of any of the G7 countries including the United States, Germany and France.

Growth is slowing for the Korean economy, which is experiencing moderate inflation. The won/dollar exchange rate increased 8.01 from previous month to close at 1,132.89, as disappointing economic data surrounding the world’s major economies caused an appreciation of the dollar. (MVA)