In August last year a team of officials from the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission was in Seoul to investigate the Neo Goldwings Paradise Corp, a Korean company wishing to invest in a casino resort on the island. Tomorrow a ground breaking ceremony is scheduled for the proposed US$1 billion project. The original US$300,000 budget has been increased to cover additions to the planned complex.

In March the Legislature approved a 25-year lease agreement, renewable for a further 15 years, of a 300-hectare plot of public land near the airport. Benigno R Fitial, Governor of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), who will attend the ground breaking ceremony, is hopeful that the Neo Goldwings Paradise investment will revitalise Tinian’s economy and create jobs. The company was granted a provisional casino licence in September last year.

Earlier this year Neo Goldwings Paradise’s Hyun Myung posted a public submission commenting on the US decision to implement federal laws regulating immigration to the CNMI – a decision that means Chinese tourists are not part of the visa waiver scheme. “I am not questioning the reasons behind the United State's decision to implement federal laws regulating immigration in the CNMI, but I am quite baffled by the lack of sensitivity to its economic effect.”

He added, “I had sincerely hoped that my company, along with others pursuing similar developments, will play a major role in stimulating the CNMI's economy back to life. However, that probability may dissolve into mere penumbra should policies continue to ignore the "limited" economic resources available to the CNMI which requires sensitivity and unique approach.”

If the casino complex development does go ahead, and it would be one of the biggest foreign investments in the CNMI, the ‘6-star’ project would include a 1000-room hotel, golf course, casino and other attractions and facilities such as a water park. Although only the Dynasty Hotel and Casino operates on Tinian at present, two other casino projects have been in the pipeline for some time although the financial crisis, as well as the new US visa requirement implemented last month, seems to have delayed progress.
(E-07.02.09)

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