T’way, Jeju to continue Saipan summer flights, MVA says

Two Korean carriers will continue flying to Saipan during the upcoming summer season, according to the Marianas Visitors Authority, easing fears that a major drop in air service could further damage the CNMI’s already fragile tourism industry.

Speaking during a March 5 press conference at the MVA office in Garapan, MVA managing director Jamika Taijeron said the agency recently traveled to South Korea to meet airline officials after reports surfaced that summer flights could be canceled.

“When we learned that there was a strong possibility that our Korean air partners would cancel their summer flights, board chairman Warren Villagomez and also our MVA secretary, Mr. Joe Guerrero, and I immediately traveled to Korea to meet with the airline partners directly,” Taijeron said.

Taijeron said the meetings resulted in commitments from Jeju Air and T’way Air to maintain summer service to Saipan.

“I’m happy to share that following our meetings last week in Seoul with the senior leadership of Jeju and T’way, both airlines have reaffirmed their commitment to continue summer service to Saipan, which runs from March 29th to October 28th,” she said.

According to Taijeron, T’way Air will continue operating daily flights without interruption.

“T’way will continue operating its daily flights without interruptions, but due to scheduling timing, Jeju will have a brief interruption in service from March 29th through April 29th, and they will continue their daily flights from April 30 onwards,” she said.

Taijeron acknowledged the tourism sector continues to face major challenges, including currency fluctuations and intense competition in the region.

“Currency fluctuations, the oversupply of seats from Korea to Guam, and intense price competition are creating a difficult environment for airlines across our region,” she said.

She said the MVA continues to work with airline partners and other stakeholders to maintain air connectivity to the Commonwealth.

Taijeron expressed appreciation to both chambers of the Legislature, highlighting the backing of the new House Tourism Committee chair, floor leader Rep. Marissa Flores, for approving nearly $1 million from the Tobacco Settlement Fund for MVA. She emphasized that this support is vital in helping the agency stabilize and expand the tourism sector.

Taijeron also addressed recent reports suggesting Korean flights could be suspended, saying the information that circulated earlier did not originate from MVA.

“We felt that the information was a bit premature and there was some miscommunication, misrepresentation that happened between some local stakeholders and the airlines directly,” she said. “MVA needed to step in there to clarify and to address that.”

Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers Tourism Recovery Task Force chair Alex Sablan seconded Taijeron in thanking lawmakers for approving additional funding to support tourism recovery efforts.

“The Senate and the House conferees agreed to support MVA in providing the million dollars that was set aside during the crisis with the food stamps last year,” he said. “They have determined now that they will fund $750,000 to MVA as additional resources, and $250,000 will go to [the Public School System].”

Sablan said the funding would help the agency strengthen its efforts to maintain air service and support tourism marketing.

“It will help MVA to move forward with its ability to use, for lack of a better term, a war chest to go to the table and to provide the necessary incentives,” he said.

He said the government is pursuing a multi-pronged strategy to revive the industry.

“The three-prong approach is to get MVA the necessary funds to be able to launch new flights, new ideas,” Sablan said.

Sablan said the strategy also includes encouraging local entrepreneurs to reopen businesses and attracting investors to develop new tourism-related projects.

“The hope is that we could possibly match that in the Commonwealth that we’re getting—we’re going to provide a significant amount of money to local entrepreneurs to open up F&B and retail,” Sablan said.

Sablan added that restoring tourism numbers would help revive Garapan and other commercial areas where many businesses have closed in recent years.

“The 75% of storefronts in the Commonwealth that are shuttered today will hopefully launch this idea of restarting Garapan,” he said.

For his part, MVA chair Warren Villagomez thanked the Legislature for stepping up to the plate and helping fund the continuation of flights from Korea this summer.

“We thank both houses, the leadership in both houses, for focusing on the fact that MVA needs help to come back and regain economic improvements on the island. The team here at MVA communicates with our hotels and industry, making every effort to intervene before notices go out. Gov. Apatang has been standing by from Day 1 to ensure the Legislature is in close communication with us to identify what funding can be provided to support MVA’s efforts,” he said.

Villagomez added that in his seven years on the MVA board, he’d never seen an appropriation or intervention from the Legislature.

“They are seeing our suffering, and I thank them for all their efforts,” he said.

Taijeron also acknowledged that the CNMI as a tourism destination is far from perfect, and emphasized the need to improve the overall product for tourists.

“We know that we must continue strengthening demand for the Marianas by improving visitor experiences, developing new products, and telling our story through our global brand platform—'Far From Ordinary,’” she said.

During the press conference, MVA also previewed the upcoming Skechers Saipan Marathon scheduled for this weekend. Taijeron said 779 runners have registered for the race, up from just over 600 participants last year.