Christopher Concepcion
“IT takes a village to raise a child” is an African proverb that has gained popularity through the years, to where if you now say “it takes a village,” it’s understood to mean that it will take many people to accomplish the goal.
In our Commonwealth village, tourism affects every single part of our lives. It pays for both private and public sector jobs. It provides an opportunity for businesses to open, make money, and stay open. Those businesses pay taxes, which generates revenue for police, hospitals and clinics, schools, parks, waste disposal, road repairs, cultural events, sports facilities, and everything in between. It provides restaurants, hotels, waterparks, and even convenient airline service for locals as well as tourists. It gives the people in our small, isolated home an ongoing connection to the wider world, with the opportunity for enriching cross-cultural exchange and a chance to share our culture with a world that could learn a lot from our treasured values, beginning with mutual respect/respetu/awóówó.
In attracting visitors and media attention to our Marianas, the Marianas Visitors Authority certainly takes the lead, leveraging our limiting marketing dollars to convince visitors to choose us over all other destinations — Hawaii, Vietnam, the Philippines, Bali, Guam, or the U.S. mainland. It’s a tough job, but we are up for it. I am incredibly proud of our team at MVA, a group of committed individuals at our offices on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota who work diligently to ensure the success of our many programs. They are among the hardest working people you will find. Regular workdays, mid-days to late nights at Taste of the Marianas, 2 a.m. showtimes for our marathon events that finish at 10 p.m., inaugural flight ceremonies in the middle of the night, hot middays cutting grass at our sites on Tinian and Rota. Mind you, all without overtime under our current financial conditions. And not only does this group of government employees work hard, they work smart. All that to say, our MVA team is not perfect, but in my opinion, they are passionate about their mission and among the best.
But to have a truly vibrant tourism economy and make the Marianas a world-class destination, it takes much more than MVA…it takes a village. MVA continues with marketing and promotions, organizing annual signature events to attract media attention and visitors, meeting with airlines and travel agents to seek more service and support, and more. But there is so much more to do, and we must also respect and leverage the jurisdiction, duties, and responsibilities of all players — government, private, and community — in our Commonwealth.
A few examples. Thankfully, most people in our community make it our personal responsibility to dispose of their trash properly. Nonetheless, we have many unscrupulous individuals creating a continuing problem with littering and outright dumping of trash at our beaches, parks, and roadsides. We see it every Monday at parks and beaches frequented by residents. This problem is obviously not a tourism-related issue. This is a local issue caused by local residents that must be solved by our local government and community together. MVA markets a pristine, nature-based destination, which is unfortunately also a literal dump in several public locations. Many contact MVA to complain about this problem (last year we even pulled our staff and resources out of the office to clean up illegal dumping near Hyatt Regency Saipan), but MVA is not the enforcement agency for keeping the islands clean. We need consistent citations issued for the Commonwealth Litter Control Act of 1989, and we are pleased to know that last week Governor Palacios discussed the issue at a cabinet meeting composed of key law enforcement agencies to address this problem. If you see a trash problem or want to report littering, please contact them! It takes a village…
The protection of people and property at various locations in Saipan is something MVA has also been forced to undertake in the past due to undeterred crime. For several years we had security personnel posted at seven locations to prevent both visitors and residents from becoming victims of car break-ins or even robberies. Ultimately, we were instructed to remove our security personnel because MVA does not have jurisdiction over those locations; that falls under the Department of Lands and Natural Resources or the Department of Public Lands. We understand the Department of Public Safety has recently been making more periodic patrols of the areas, but permanent security is needed throughout the day. MVA cannot provide this. It takes a village…
Not so long ago people used to call and complain about MVA not picking up dead dogs on the road (thankfully, the Saipan Mayor’s Office, DPS, and other agencies now handle that). It’s been a bit of a running joke in the office about how MVA is often expected to handle anything unsavory or unsatisfactory in the community. Trash problems? Break-ins? Abandoned buildings becoming unsightly and unsafe? Public restrooms dirty or inoperable? Sidewalk lighting inoperable? Public parking not available? Roadside landscaping unattractive? Park facilities rundown or unsafe? Airport facilities need improvements? And the list goes on. Our doors at MVA are always open for those who have concerns about the tourism industry. Equally and for the sake of efficiency, we encourage that concerns be discussed directly with responsible parties, if not MVA. We cannot do this alone.
It takes a village, and we know that by working together, this village can become the home and destination we all hope for.
