NMI Gov. Arnold Palacios defended his pivot away from the China tourism market and toward the military as there are growing calls to tap back into the market amid a deficit.

"We're always vulnerable and we're always vulnerable despite the geopolitical situation that we're in," he told KUAM News.

The Marianas Visitors Authority reports that over 24,000 tourists visited Saipan in August 2023 compared to just over 9,000 last August. 20-thousand are from South Korea, 960 are from Japan. And 1,000 are from China. Before COVID -- China made up half of tourist arrivals.

The MVA says that the China National Tourism Administration reinstated The Marianas on its Approved Destination Status list in August, allowing package tours and charter flights to the destination. However, Palacios isn’t pivoting away from his pivot away from China amid the military build-up on Tinian.

He explained, “There's going to be military installations three miles from Saipan. OK, so we need to put hose in our consciousness. It cannot be we cannot continue to be looking at things just for instant gratification.”

Recently, the administration has welcomed a number of port calls from the U.S. military, bringing in hundreds of servicemembers. But it isn't enough to replace the once thriving market.

Palacios said, "Sure do I feel a lot of pressure? Believe it or not, I feel that I feel from the community that just wants [it] but I can assure you that this is not just in my control. There's a national interest of security."