United invests in expansion of CNMI routes

The Northern Marianas travel market is expanding with hopes of resurrecting tourism from Japan. United Airlines is expanding its friendly skies as the NMI governor responds to some criticism on the investment.

An expected travel boom as the pandemic still looms. Sam Shinohara, Managing Director, Airport Operations Asia/Pacific, said, "It is a very exciting time for the CNMI clearly but it is also a very exciting time for the people at United Airlines."

It’s a sign of the times after the pandemic’s blow to the friendly skies. "We are very thrilled to be announcing that we are going to be launching a service three times a week between Narita and Saipan this coming September," he added.

Each flight will have 166 seats. He says United already started selling flights and a team from Japan will visit Saipan to reacquaint themselves with the island under the one-year contract.

Shinohara added, "We are in the business of re-energizing the tourism industry. Certainly, that is our goal to bring Japanese tourists back here, but there is a lot for the local people in this new flight."

Local travelers now have a connection to the U.S, Asia, and beyond. But it isn’t all friendly up there. Governor Ralph Torres also responded to criticism of his decision to invest 15 million dollars in the Tourism Resumption Investment Plan, also known as TRIP, using American Rescue Plan federal funds that first began with flights from Korea.

"So, is it well spent?" the governor questioned. "For me, absolutely and I would do it all over again because it is the right thing to do to continue to emphasize that tourism is our driving force for our economy here."

Time can only tell if residents will see that investment return to their pockets.