22 Oct 2014

CNMI reports surge in Chinese visitors in 2014

3:08 pm on 22 October 2014

Tourists from China are now the primary visitors to the Northern Marianas, in what is a first for the islands' tourism industry.

Chinese visitors formed 36 percent of total visitor arrivals in the 2014 fiscal year, which is a 40-percent increase compared to the same period in 2013.

The Marianas Visitors Authority says the number of tourists from China grew from just over 112,000 in 2013 to over 157,000 this year.

Visitors from South Korea dipped three percent comprising just 30 percent of arrivals, while Japan dropped 23 percent.

However, the number of visitors from Russia grew 26 percent to form three percent of arrivals.

Overall, visitor arrivals to the CNMI in 2014 improved 2.3 percent.