Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands (NMI) – The Marianas Visitors Authority (MVA) has welcomed last week’s resumption of the Economic Vitality & Security Travel Authorization Program (EVS-TAP), saying the program opens to door to welcome more visitors from China, again.
EVS-TAP is administered by the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security and allows prescreened nationals of the People’s Republic of China to travel to the destination without a visa under specified conditions. It is a restricted subprogram of the Guam-Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program.
“We are very excited to know that traveler applications are being processed once again through EVS-TAP following the sudden suspension in April, and processing is proceeding quite rapidly,” said MVA Managing Director Jamika R. Taijeron. “This opens the pipeline again to non-visa holders from Hong Kong and China, something we desperately need to revive our tourism economy. The MVA sincerely thanks all our partners across the public and private sectors who have had a part in advocating for the resumption of EVS-TAP, and we thank those who made the decision to resume the program and contribute to maintaining the economic and social stability of our people here in the commonwealth.”
Prior to the pandemic, visitor arrivals from China comprised over 40% of all visitors to The Marianas under the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, as well as Annex VI under the US Department of State’s “US-China Air Transport Agreement of July 9, 2007, which had provided a special carveout of flights between China and The Marianas. Absent these two tools, total visitor
arrivals have sputtered to 126,312 this fiscal year through June, 30% lower than last fiscal year. The Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Island reports 29% average occupancy for 2025.
Taijeron says that the MVA has maintained continual communication with travel partners and stakeholders through the period of EVS-TAP suspension and is working with them to prime up the market for Hong Kong Airline flight resumption expected on September 21, 2025.
The Marianas is an archipelago of 14 islands - including Saipan, Tinian, and Rota - in the Western Pacific. The Marianas are home to indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people, as well as over 20 different ethnicities from around the world who live and work in this harmonious tropical paradise. Ancient latte stone limestone monoliths, traditional nature-based ocean navigation not reliant on modern technology, and a culture seasoned by East and West influences are just a few of the experiences found in The Marianas, where pristine sea, sand, and skies are only a 3–4-hour flight from major Asian gateway cities.
The Marianas is an archipelago of 14 islands - including Saipan, Tinian, and Rota - in the Western Pacific. The Marianas are home to indigenous Chamorro and Carolinian people, as well as over 20 different ethnicities from around the world who live and work in this harmonious tropical paradise. Ancient latte stone limestone monoliths, traditional nature-based ocean navigation not reliant on modern technology, and a culture seasoned by East and West influences are just a few of the experiences found in The Marianas, where pristine sea, sand, and skies are only a 3–4-hour flight from major Asian gateway cities. From South Korea, Jeju Air and T’Way provide direct flights to Saipan from Seoul-Incheon. United Airlines flies three times a week from Tokyo-Narita, Japan, and daily from Guam. Hong Kong Airlines flies twice weekly from Hong Kong. Interisland travel between Saipan, Tinian, and Rota is provided by Star Marianas Air. For more information on The Marianas, visit www.mymarianas.com, Facebook/VisitTheMarianas, or Instagram@themarianas.
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