Transcript
CHRIS CONCEPCION: Korea has seen tremendous growth in the last couple of years primarily due to the marketing initiatives that we've undertaken in that market. But also we are served daily by five different airlines from Seoul and Busan. And so that has definitely contributed to the growth in arrivals from that market.
JOHNNY BLADES: I wouldn't call you the most remote territory in the Pacific at all, but it's still a bit of a lag to get there from some metropolitan countries. But there is that value of the destination which is a very beautiful set of islands, isn't it?
CC: It is. We are located here in the north side of the Pacific. A three-hour flight from Tokyo, about a four hour flight from Seoul, and about four and a half to five hours from mainland China. We are served daily as well from Hong Kong and seasonal flights from the Philippines and Taiwan, and so from this region of the Pacific has easy access to the islands. From the South Pacific it's a little bit more difficult of course, they would have to transit in one of those other countries that provide direct flights to the islands. The Marianas are unique in this region, we think. There are fourteen islands, three of them are the main populated islands: Tinian, Saipan and Rota. We’re the home of the Marianas Trench, the deepest point in the earth. There's a lot of other unique things that attract visitors to our islands.
JB: And the Koreans and other groups where the markets are strong, who are coming in, what are they generally coming for?
CC: I think it's a combination. First and foremost, we are a family destination, so a lot of families come here, really to get away from the busy city lives that they live; come here to the tropics, enjoy our beautiful ocean, the natural surroundings here, our jungles and things that are available here that that are not available in their home countries. That's primarily our biggest draw, our natural assets here. Of course once you get here, there are many different resorts and activities to do: jungle trekking, sky-diving, scuba-diving, shopping, there's culinary arts which is a big thing here - a lot of the different food that's available here because we're such a melting pot of cultures here. There's the indigenous Chamorros and Carolinian people. But then there's also a lot of other different people from throughout the world really that have made the Marianas their home.
JB: And the fledgling casino scene is a bit of a draw card for some of the Chinese, isn't it?
CC: Yes absolutely. The gaming industry has taken hold here in the Marianas, in Saipan in particular. The initial gaming facility has opened in the Garapan main tourist district for Saipan. There are hundreds of machines and tables available for visitors. It has proved a solid attraction for many people from China, but there are definitely a small number of Koreans and Japanese that also frequent the place. We don't market ourselves as a gaming destination necessarily. We're first and foremost a family destination, and the gaming side of things is really just an added attraction. So when they get here, they can go golfing in the day, and go to the casino in the evening, enjoy the rest of your night and the time here in the Marianas.
JB: Does the US military presence in the Marianas hurt the tourism appeal of the territory at all?
CC: That's a good question. Well first, we do not have active military presence in the Marianas. They do have a couple of active military bases on our neighbouring island to the south, Guam, which is why... I'm sure you've been following the news lately with Guam being a target for North Korean missiles. The Northern Mariannas - Tinian, Saipan and Rota - are not in any danger. Because we are not a target, we don't want to alarm the market. We are of course a lot closer to Korea because we are north of Guam. But as far as military presence hurting us, I don't think that it does necessarily hurt us because we don't have such a big presence that Guam has.
JB: But the plans that the US military have for live-fire testing and this and that... I know that there's an ongoing conversation about that, but there is a bit of concern, isn't there, in the Marianas about what the US military wants to use some of your islands for. So that must be a worry from a tourism point of view, or is it?
CC: Oh yeah, Johnny. Thank you for bringing that subject up. We are very concerned as a tourism authority here for the Marianas, of the US military's plans to turn a big chunk of Tinian island into a live-firing range, as well as one of our most pristine islands in the Marianas, Pagan, to the north of Saipan, into a live-firing range/ training facility. We're very concerned about it because we predict it will do damage to our tourism industry, and more so to our environment and our way of life really here in the Marianas. we are opposed to their plans to turn Tinian and Pagan into live-firing ranges. And so the tourism industry has stated our position, our opposition to the plans. I understand everything is still being negotiated between our two governments, but nothing firm has been committed at this point.
JB: What does the territory get more from, in terms of revenue or economic activity? Is there more generated through tourism or through partnership with the US military?
CC: By far it's through tourism. The US military contributes very little, an insignificant amount of revenue to the islands as compared to tourism which provides about 90 percent of the GDP for the Northern Marianas. And so the military side of things here has very minimal impact on our economy. So we're not quite interested in having them come in and doing damage, more damage to the islands than they will do benefit for the economy.