Saipan's 'Sky Route' Opens in July... First 'Travel Bubble' Agreement Reached

Korea-Saipan (U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) Sign Travel Bubble Agreement on 30th

Saipan Managaha Island.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The air route to Saipan is expected to open as early as next month.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that on the 30th, a signing ceremony for the travel bubble agreement with Saipan (U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) will be held at Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul.

This signing ceremony is a follow-up measure to the "Travel Bubble Promotion Plan" announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in a joint meeting with related ministries on the 9th, and through this agreement, the first path for overseas travel without the burden of quarantine measures amid the COVID-19 situation has been opened.

According to the agreement between the two countries, for thorough quarantine management, travelers must be ▲ nationals or family members of both countries who have completed vaccination approved by their respective health authorities and are part of a group tour that has passed 14 days after vaccination (2nd dose for Pfizer, Moderna, AZ; 1st dose for Janssen), and ▲ must possess a vaccination certificate issued by their health authority and a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours before departure.

Then, on the day of arrival, travelers undergo a COVID-19 test and wait in designated hotel rooms; once confirmed negative, they can proceed with their travel.

The Northern Mariana Islands government is preparing for travelers' safety by designating ▲ travel bubble exclusive accommodations in Saipan, ▲ staff who have completed vaccination to assist travelers, ▲ movement along pre-secured quarantine-safe routes arranged by dedicated travel agencies, and ▲ appointing quarantine management officers through local travel agencies and operating dedicated hospitals for confirmed cases.

As of this date, the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in the Northern Mariana Islands is 183 (of which 147 cases (80.3%) are imported, and only 36 cases (19.7%) are local transmissions), and the rate of people who have completed the second dose of vaccination is about 63% of the total population.

Considering the pre-inspection of local quarantine measures and preparation time for travel agencies to recruit customers, the actual travel period enabled by this agreement is expected to be from late July to early August at the earliest.

Kim Hong-rak, Director of the International Aviation Division at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said that the Korea-Saipan travel bubble agreement “responds to the travel demand of our citizens that has been suppressed due to COVID-19 and hopes to aid the recovery of the aviation and tourism industries,” and added that they will “continue to strive to establish travel bubbles with countries that excel in quarantine.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.