ROTA — The runners and visitors who came through for Rota Marathon 2026 have long since headed home, but the Marianas Visitors Authority’s message about tourism’s day-to-day value is still being carried forward in Rota classrooms.
In conjunction with the Rota Marathon, the Marianas Tourism Education Council and the Marianas Visitors Authority visited Sinapalo Elementary School and Dr. Rita H. Inos Jr./Sr. High School to talk with students about the visitor industry, how it impacts island life, and how youth can contribute to its success.
Organizers said the annual outreach reaches 5th, 7th, and 10th grade students through interactive presentations and activities, including a mock “marketing battle” staged to show how destinations compete for visitors.
“It’s so engaging, how you advertise between Saipan and Rota,” teacher Lorna Calvo-King told presenters, adding that the presentation has continued to grow and improve each year.
MTEC and MVA also met with junior and senior high school students, noting some had already signed up to participate in Rota Marathon 2026 the following day, an event organizers said drew more than 100 registrations from Japan, Korea, the United States, Guam, and the Marianas.
MTEC and MVA said the goal is to visit every public school in Saipan, Tinian, and Rota each year. Organizers described MTEC as a nonprofit focused on building community understanding and support of the visitor industry, educating students about tourism’s role in the community, and promoting the “Hafa Adai–Tirow” hospitality spirit.
