By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Saipan— The Marianas Visitors Authority is anticipating visitor arrivals to bounce back starting this month with the reinstatement of suspended flights from South Korea.
Jeju Air’s second daily flight resumed on Dec. 8 and the temporary twice-weekly charter flights from Busan are set to begin on Dec. 20.
Visitor arrivals to the Northern Marianas decreased 23 percent— from compared to 15,815 visitors received in November 2023 to 12,254 visitors in November 2024, MVA said.
The agency attributed the decrease to the suspension of Asiana Airlines’ Saipan operations since July and the pause on Jeju Air's night flight from Seoul beginning Oct. 28.
In November, visitor arrivals from South Korea registered 8,868, 32 percent lower than the 13,026 visitors received in November 2023. The Marianas received 60 flights from Korea this November compared to 90 flights last year.
Visitor arrivals from Japan registered 479 in November 2024 compared to 545 visitors in November 2023, a 12 percent decrease.
Officials noted that while the Japanese are beginning to regain their appetite for traveling, the strong U.S. dollar and weaker Japanese yen continue to influence travelers to choose non-U.S. or domestic destinations, as well as a continuing preference for domestic travel among Japanese travelers.
The Northern Marianas saw a significant increase in arrivals from China, the islands' second largest source market before the pandemic hit in 2020.
In November, 800 Chinese tourists visited the Marianas, compared to 244 arrivals in November 2023, an increase of 228 percent, which the MVA attributed to multiple direct weekly flights from five cities. Hong Kong Airlines now flies twice weekly between Hong Kong and Saipan.
In November, the Marianas also received 1,145 visitors from Guam, 639 visitors from the U.S. mainland, and a combined 323 visitors from all other markets.
Subscribe to
our digital
monthly edition
コメント