SAIPAN — Visitor arrivals to the CNMI totaled 7,266 in September, down 50% from 14,555 a year ago, the Marianas Visitors Authority said. For the fiscal year ending September, arrivals reached 160,640, a 32% drop from 237,498 in FY24. MVA cited continued constraints in air service, with annual seat capacity sliding from about 760,000 in FY2018 to 250,000 in FY2025 (-67%), including steep reductions from Korea and the ongoing lack of direct flights from mainland China.
Korea remained the top source market with 4,065 visitors in September with just 39 flights from Seoul compared to 81 last September. Jeju Air suspended its night service Sept. 9–Oct. 1 due to weak sales and fare levels, and T’way Air paused its daily Saipan service Aug. 19–Sept. 29, leaving most of September with only one daily Seoul flight. MVA says disruptions like that make it harder for agencies to sell and travelers to plan.
In Japan, arrivals ticked up to 556 in September versus 551 a year ago for the second straight month of growth, albeit modest. MVA pointed to renewed outreach under its Marianas Revival Project, recent promotions at JATA Tourism Expo and Asia Dive Expo Japan, and United’s three-times-weekly Narita–Saipan service, which returned to a more favorable schedule this month. Meanwhile, China recorded 680 arrivals in September in large part due to Hong Kong Airlines restarting its twice-weekly Hong Kong–Saipan flights on Sept. 22.
Looking ahead, the MVA board approved a $3.8 million FY2026 spending plan based on current Hotel Occupancy Tax revenue and air service levels, and authorized a $6.4 million overall budget contingent on improved revenues or supplemental funds. MVA is also seeking $10 million in supplemental support to stabilize air service over three years and stimulate demand with product upgrades aligned to sustainability, wellness/health, learning, and regenerative tourism trends.
