23 Dec 2008

CNMI's Visitors Authority says its feeling recession in Asia

12:08 pm on 23 December 2008

The Marianas Visitors Authority says the CNMI is not the only tourist destination feeling the effects of the ongoing Japanese recession and the recent depreciation of the Korean won.

The Marianas Visitors Authority executive director Perry Tenorio, says any country that relies heavily in tourism should be worried.

He says there's a lot of concerns that people, instead of spending their money on travel, may be saving it because of the economic situation.

But he says the authority will do everything in its power to promote the CNMI to its major markets in Asia.

Mr Tenorio's comments come on the heels of a Japan Travel Bureau report showing a 9.5-percent drop in Japanese outbound travel in the fiscal year that ended in October.

"According to the report published in the Minaichi Daily News , sales from group tours and agent-planned tours decreased 12.2 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively, from October 2007 to October 2008."