Mark Rabago
RNZ Pacific CNMI correspondent
The
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is
stepping up efforts to rebuild its tourism industry after
back-to-back super typhoons, welcoming the return of Hong
Kong Airlines while lobbying Philippine carriers to restore
and expand direct air links.
The resumption of Hong
Kong Airlines from 13 July marks the second international
carrier to return to Saipan following Super Typhoons Sinlaku
and Bavi, a milestone tourism officials say signals growing
confidence in the destination despite the damage left by the
storms.
Marianas Visitors Authority marketing manager
Andy Qin said 174 passengers arrived on the inaugural
returning flight from Hong Kong, while 38 passengers
departed on the outbound service.
“This is the second
international flight coming back to the island after the
typhoon. This is the second typhoon probably,
unfortunately.”
Qin said government agencies and
tourism businesses worked together to restore services
quickly enough for the airline to resume flights on schedule
despite the islands’ ongoing recovery.
“All the
tourist partners, and even [the Commonwealth Ports Authority
and the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation] … they also
worked very hard to make the recovery as soon as possible.
So the flight didn’t have a delay.”
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Although Managaha
Island, one of the CNMI’s premier tourist attractions,
remains closed while awaiting clearance from the Department
of Public Lands, Qin said tour operators have developed
alternative activities for visitors.
“They tried to
make more activities for the tourists… They will try their
best to entertain our tourists.”
Hong Kong Airlines
has resumed its pre-typhoon schedule of two weekly flights,
with the possibility of increasing to three flights a week
if passenger demand remains strong. Jeju Air is currently
operating four weekly South Korea-Saipan services, while
Philippine Airlines is expected to resume Manila-Saipan
flights in October.
At the same time, the Commonwealth
Ports Authority is pushing to further strengthen the
islands’ international connectivity by urging Philippine
Airlines to resume service before October and courting Cebu
Pacific to launch direct Manila-Saipan flights.
CPA
board chair Bart Jackson said officials raised both
proposals during recent meetings with Philippine aviation
stakeholders.
“We are working with Philippine Airlines
and working with Cebu Pacific possibly to see if we can help
our Filipino comrades get back to the Philippines a bit
easier than flying through Seoul or through
Narita.”
Jackson said the request for an earlier
Philippine Airlines return is driven by the expected travel
needs of hundreds of Commonwealth-Only Worker visa holders,
most of them Filipinos, who will need to travel home during
August and September as part of the renewal
process.
“We tried to push them just a little bit and
see if we could get them to come a bit earlier.”
He
said the CPA also used the meetings to highlight the growing
importance of the Philippine market to the CNMI economy and
to encourage Cebu Pacific to consider launching
service.
While acknowledging that successive typhoons
have caused some airlines to reassess expansion plans,
Jackson said interest in serving Saipan remains strong
following discussions with prospective carriers at the
Routes Asia aviation conference.
“I think that there
are airlines that are still very interested, but these are
not quick
decisions.”
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