There has been a suggestion that the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana's ailing visitors' industry can get a big boost from heritage tourism.
Dr Jennifer McKinnon from Flinders University in Australia says heritage tourism on Saipan could be developed through the various existing heritage trail sites.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines heritage tourism as traveling to experience the places, artifacts, and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present.
Dr McKinnon says an indigenous heritage trail would be fantastic to capture the indigenous maritime lifeways that are in the CNMI.
Since she began travelling to the Commonwealth in 2007, Dr McKinnon said she has worked on some 25 to 30 underwater sites.
