Pacific paradise Saipan’s virus success leaves Bali in the shade

A new airline in the making is banking on a tiny US territory becoming Australia’s new Bali.

The island of Saipan, in the Northern Marianas, is at the centre of a new venture trying to lure Aussie tourists locked out by Covid from traditional destinations including Bali. Picture: Getty Images

A resort island just a six-hour flight from Brisbane is aiming to be Australia’s new “Bali” as the world recovers from the brutal Covid-19 pandemic.

Saipan, which is the largest of the Northern Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, has already managed to get 70 per cent of its adult population fully vaccinated and is on track to achieve 80 per cent, or the “herd immunity threshold”, in coming weeks.

In preparation for the islands’ economic recovery, Governor Ralph Torres is backing plans for a new leisure airline known as Marianas Pacific to operate services to other Covid-safe countries, with Australia high on the list.

Marianas Pacific chairman Neil Hansford, a veteran of Australian aviation, said as the Covid crisis eased, the demand for Covid-safe destinations would skyrocket with Saipan an obvious choice.

“No Australian health authority is going to allow travel to Bali any time soon, same with the Philippines. Australians are going to want to go somewhere that’s Covid-safe and Saipan ticks all the boxes,” Mr Hansford said.

“It’s the same distance (from Brisbane) as Bali, it has the same quality of hotels, the same sort of resorts, better diving, English is the main language and they’re in the same time zone as us.”

Over the last 12 months, Mr Hansford has been working to get Marianas Pacific airborne, navigating the complications of Covid-19 restrictions to visit Saipan in May.

He said few Australians would be aware that Saipan was a viable holiday destination. “There are very low crime rates, you don’t see beggars, they eat pretty much what we eat, and marijuana and same-sex marriage are legal,” Mr Hansford said. “They don’t drink Australian wine yet – we’d like to change that. There’s American wine and beer and plenty of nightlife but it’s a family place, not a cesspit.”

Saipan is praised as ‘a family place, not a cesspit’. Picture: Visit Marianas

As a US territory, the island’s currency was US dollars but Mr Hansford said Saipan was not an expensive destination with the average hotel room rate similar to Bali.

Temperatures on the island remained within a range of 21-31C year-round, and an atoll off the coast ensured the surf was safe for swimming and paddling.

Mr Hansford said Marianas Pacific would initially fly Boeing 757s between South Korea and Saipan but they hoped to operate from Brisbane as soon as a travel bubble could be established.

“They’ve got 3500 hotel rooms (on Saipan) that are empty. The Chinese were a major part of their tourism but the US government no longer allows Chinese people to have visas,” he said.

As well as carrying tourists into Saipan in a two-class cabin configuration, Mr Hansford said Marianas Pacific would open up a new export market for Australia.

 

“The hotels there want to buy fresh Australian seafood, beef, dairy and salad vegetables because currently all of their supplies come chilled or frozen from the US,” he said.

Australian Federation of Travel Agents chairman Tom Manwaring said it was a good time to be doing the groundwork for new destinations in Covid-safe countries but Marianas Pacific still faced an uphill battle.

“The impact of Covid in Bali will be a positive for destinations like that providing the health amenities in Saipan are up to scratch,” Mr Manwaring said.

“It’s a very competitive business, travel. If airfares are competitive and the frequency is good they’re in with a chance.”

He said Saipan was best known for its scuba diving, which was a “niche market”.

“There’s also the ‘fly and flop’ market – people who just want to go to a beach and relax …”

Originally published as Pacific paradise Saipan’s virus success leaves Bali in the shade