MTEC Tourism Summit on Jan.23, 2020

E-Land Group of Companies donates $2,000 to the Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit on Jan. 23, 2020, at Kensington Hotel Saipan. From left are Kensington Corporate Social Responsibility manager Lindsay Ahn, Kensington HR training manager Joeme Villegas, MTEC board member Catherine Perry, MTEC vice chair Wendi Herring, MTEC chair Vicky Benavente, Pacific Islands Club Saipan general manager Gloria Cavanagh, PIC Saipan assistant general manager Dennis Seo, Marianas Visitors Authority Community Projects specialist Ray Villagomez, and Kensington assistant general manager Ginger Choi. (MTEC)

The Marianas Tourism Education Council Tourism Summit for CNMI Public School System students will be held on Jan. 23, 2020, with E-Land Group of Companies becoming the first major sponsor to support the outreach event.

The theme of this year’s summit, co-organized by the Marianas Visitors Authority, is “VolunTOURISM: Learn today. Lead tomorrow.” reflecting the opportunities available to students to engage with the industry and learn today in preparation for the leadership roles they will take in the industry in the future.

This year’s summit will be held at Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan.

“These students are the future leaders of our islands,” said MTEC chair Vicky Benavente. “Learning early in life about the importance of the tourism and hospitality industry is crucial to the development of their role in our community, whether they decide to choose a career in this industry or not.”

Last Nov. 20, E-land Group donated $2,000 to the summit to help sponsor hundreds of students expected to attend. The students will be from MY WAVE (Marianas Youth Welcome All Visitors Enthusiastically) Clubs in grades 5-12 chosen by their respective schools to participate.

“Young people are the future of the tourism industry, and E-Land appreciates the work that MTEC does to educate them and engage them in discussions that help them understand and take ownership of their role in tourism, even at a young age,” said general manager Gloria Cavanagh of Pacific Islands Club Saipan, an E-Land Group hotel. “We’re excited for what the students are going to learn, and we look forward to working with them as early as high school and through and after their collegiate or trade studies.”

Approximately 400 students are expected for the summit, which will also feature exhibits by MVA, Micronesia Islands Nature Alliance, and others. Interested sponsors may contact MVA Community Projects specialist Jack Aranda at jaranda@mymarianas.comor MVA Community Projects manager Martin Duenas at mduenas@mymarianas.comor call 1 (670) 664-3210 for a sponsorship package.

“The annual MTEC Tourism Summit for MY WAVE Club students is an important part of the MVA’s outreach to the community and an educational event that the students really look forward to,” said MVA managing director Priscilla M. Iakopo. “Through engaging speakers, informative exhibits, and thought-provoking exercises, we work to light a spark in the participants to get excited about tourism and what they can learn about—and contribute to—–the industry.”

MTEC was formed in 2002 to heighten the community’s awareness of the importance of tourism to the wellbeing of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands. MTEC’s stated mission is three-fold: to foster community understanding and support of the visitor industry; educate the general public, especially school students, about the value, social benefits, and economic contributions made to the community by the visitor industry; and to instill, improve and promote the “Hafa Adai-Tirow” hospitality spirit throughout the island community. (MTEC)