Business leaders back NI promotion

While some have questioned the recent promotional activity that focused on the Northern Islands, tourism and business leaders have expressed support for the decision to have the Marianas Visitors Authority join forces with Robert Arrington, who hosts the YouTube channel Deer Meat for Dinner, to showcase the islands as the CNMI’s last frontier.

For one, the MVA has always been wanting to get quality footage of the islands to showcase the beauty of not just the three inhabited islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota, but of all the 14 islands that make up the CNMI. But because of the cost, the project was considered impossible, according to Marian Aldan-Pierce, Duty Free Shop Saipan’s president and chairwoman of MVA board of directors.

“Then came Mr. Arrington’s proposal. Fifty-nine thousand dollars for what he has been producing is a drop in the bucket. The quality of the footage is great and [it] showcases not just the unique qualities of the islands he has visited, but how fun off-the-grid living is and can be,” said Aldan-Pierce.

Although she does not anticipate an immediate increase in tourism to the Northern Islands, these footages will act as a teaser. “Will the CNMI get an immediate uptick in tourism to the Northern Islands? Of course not. We have none of the necessary logistics to welcome visitors to any one island beyond Saipan at this moment. I see these footages as teasers for what can be available to adventure seekers with money in the future. I’m talking long term. But what these footages are doing is creating awareness of our destinations—the three that we market all the time, and the potential of the 11 that are virtually virgin territory, which are getting to be a rarity in this part of the world. He is showing the world where we are located and the gems we have,” said Aldan-Pierce.

Aldan-Pierce says it’s unfortunate that the promotion has received some negative attention instead of people looking at the positive contribution that the promotion could have. “Mr. Arrington is an adventurer and a lover of nature and the simple life we have as islanders. And all these good things are drowning in negativity,” said Aldan-Pierce.

Jerry Tan, who is president of TanHoldings, pointed out that opportunities for this level of exposure “are very rare and, at such a low cost, are nearly nonexistent. Platforms like YouTube and productions like Mr. Rob Arrington’s are at the cutting edge of marketing. The CNMI needs exposure; we need to build our brand. This takes a consistent and long-term marketing effort of showcasing to the world who we are and what we have to offer. I am very thankful that Gov. [Ralph DLG] Torres took advantage of this opportunity,” he said.

Priscilla Iakopo, MVA managing director, said that the low marketing price, which is at $59,000, is rare. “Many people do not understand just how much it costs to market the CNMI. We have to spend money in order to attract visitors. Marketing in general is normally incredibly expensive. It would have been irresponsible for us not to take advantage of the opportunity to put the CNMI out there to an audience of millions, for such a nominal cost,” said Iakopo.

Mike Sablan, Triple J Enterprises vice president and an MVA board member, said it is no secret that the tourism industry has changed globally, and that tourist interests are changing. “If we want to compete and grow our tourism sector, there’s no question we must adapt—not only to keep up, but to get ahead. This means revamping our marketing strategy with the goal to expand our markets beyond our traditional sources and beyond our usual offerings. The opportunity to promote our Northern Islands was brought to us, and I’m glad that MVA seized it,” he said.

Sablan says that the extraordinary footage these last couple of weeks showcasing the beauty of the Northern Islands has created awareness of some new experiences to offer to tourists. “While it may be years before we’re able to develop the needed infrastructure, logistics, and safeguards to expand the CNMI’s tourism destination to include our Northern Island gems, we need to start somewhere” and the recent

YouTube videos are a great start, he said.

Torres also pointed out that the CNMI government spent a small amount to assist in making the production happen. “While we made a small investment solely to assist with the transportation costs, Mr. Arrington spent a significant of amount of his own resources to cover much of the cost of his nearly two weeks of filming,” he said.

Torres added that it saddens him to see that critics have targeted the marketing effort and have “cast a dark cloud over what is a rare opportunity to bring the beauty of our islands to an audience of millions.”

“For the very small investment made by the CNMI, Rob Arrington will be here for nearly two months of filming and producing shows featuring the Northern Islands, Saipan, and Tinian. Viewership of the Deer Meat for Dinner shows featuring the CNMI are already approaching 17 million,” said Torres.

The goal, Torres said, is to diversify visitor numbers for the long term. “I would challenge those who are making a case against this, when our bread and butter is tourism, to provide me with a similar opportunity that brings our islands to an audience of millions for as little cost,” said Torres.

As of July 23, 2020, Deer Meat For Dinner had 2.37 million subscribers on YouTube. His episodes featuring the Northern Mariana Islands have garnered nearly 17 million views.

Arrington will remain in the CNMI for several weeks, filming episodes of Deer Meat for Dinner on Tinian and Saipan to showcase the natural environment and the people of the Marianas.