Governor Ralph DLG. Torres on Sunday announced that United Airlines will be offering direct flight services between Saipan, CNMI and Narita, Japan, beginning September 2022.
“This is a great step in revitalizing our historic Japan market, which has always been a priority of my Administration. Since the pandemic started, we have been working to both bring back and diversify our main tourism markets. We are excited to see these direct flights between Saipan and Japan, which is something we have not had since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Governor Torres.
“I want to thank United Airlines for offering this flight service for both our visitors and our community, and most importantly, for their continued partnership with the CNMI.”
“Thank you to the Marianas Visitors Authority, the Commonwealth Ports Authority, and our other agencies for their hard work in not only promoting the Marianas in Japan, and in continuing to identify opportunities for growth and development of our local tourism industry.”
“I would also like to thank the Consulate Office of Japan, and Japanese companies and communities in the CNMI for their support and collaboration.”
“We have had a good and long-standing relationship with Japan, and we now have the opportunity to rebuild the CNMI as a choice destination for Japanese visitors, at the same time as developing our other markets. I want to acknowledge the continued work and collaboration of our business partners, local organizations, and entire community to welcome back visitors to the Marianas and revive a thriving tourism industry,” said Governor Torres.
“United Airlines is proud to be the carrier of choice to provide this new direct service between Saipan and Tokyo/Narita, Japan. Gov. Torres and his administration, the Marianas Visitors Authority, and the community have done an incredible job preparing for the reopening of the Japan market, and United Airlines is proud to support these efforts through our sales team in Japan and our team here in Saipan,” said Sam Shinohara, Managing Director of Airport Operations for Asia Pacific at United Airlines. “In addition to providing inbound travel for tourists, the new Saipan-Tokyo/Narita direct service will provide residents of the CNMI with more convenient connections to Asia and major cities in the U.S.”
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