The Northern Marianas posted its highest monthly arrivals since the Covid-19 pandemic began after 4,188 visitors came to the islands in February 2022, compared to 190 visitors received in February 2021.
That compares to just 190 visitors in February 2021.
Northern Marianas reopens borders to tourists from South Korea, with some restricted provisions. July 2021 Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Mark Rabago
The Marianas Visitors Authority is expressing caution, however, as the figure is still a significant decrease of 89 percent from 38,049 received in February 2019, indicating a continued challenging road ahead for the recovery of the island group's tourism economy.
A majority of visitors in February arrived under a travel bubble agreement with South Korea, the Northern Marianas' largest source market prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2,821 visitors arriving.
This compares to February 2021, when the Commonwealth received only two visitors from South Korea.
Following a decline in demand from South Korea in December and early January due to the omicron variant and other factors, weekly flights doubled from 12 in January to 24 in February 2022.
Budget Korean airline Air Busan also started flying to the Marianas for the first time in January. Arrivals are anticipated to continue to increase with the expansion of flight service over the coming months. As of March 21, all inbound passengers to Korea are no longer required to quarantine, which is expected to further drive travel demand.
The Northern Marianas also received 842 visitors from the United States, 382 from Guam, and 143 visitors from all other destinations in February.