There's been a call in the Northern Marianas for the territory to work with Guam and Palau to market themselves globally as tourist destinations.
Sunset as viewed from Saipan, the main island of the Northern Marianas. Photo: RNZI / Mark Rabago
The Marianas Visitors Authority said the three Micronesian territories had common challenges and must find common solutions.
This includes marketing their destinations, especially in Japan where air links to Micronesia have been reduced since the suspension of Delta Airlines' flights to the islands.
According to Marianas Variety, Authority members recently met with their Guam Visitors Bureau counterparts for the first time in over 10 years.
Subsequently, the Authority has been pushing the importance of a united effort among the CNMI, Guam and Palau in getting more flights to the region.
The Authority's managing director, Chris Concepcion, said they are considering packaging their islands as a selling point to airline companies.
He said the "pooling their resources" by CNMI, Guam and Palau was "very vital for the long-term development of the tourism industry".