The Northern Marianas tourism body is worried about a sharp decline in visitor arrivals from China and wants the islands to develop other source markets for tourism.
Tourists visiting a CNMI beach. Photo: RNZ / Mark Rabago
The Marianas Visitors Authority said China has long been the top performer when it comes to tourists coming to the CNMI.
However, a combination of factors has resulted in a 21 percent decline in its arrivals for fiscal year 2019 to 186,141.
The Authority said issues affecting the visitor arrivals from China are beyond the CNMI's control, such as the ongoing Hong Kong protests, which were creating a bottleneck for tourists, who had to transit through the former crown colony before flying to Saipan.