The Micronesian destination of Saipan is growing in popularity with Chinese, Japanese and Korean tourists. The westernmost territory of the United States is also the closest to Japan, China, Korea and Southeast Asia, and allows many visitors to stay up to 45 days without a visa. Hong Kong-listed Imperial Pacific International Holdings, Ltd. plans to open a multibillion-dollar resort development on the island, creating thousands of jobs and building up the island’s economy by millions. The resort development plans to contain at least six internationally recognized hotels and casinos, private villas, duty-free malls, a conference centre, a Greg Norman golf course and the world’s largest water park. The same company is investing in improvements to Saipan’s airport and marina. “Saipan is truly a unique, natural Pacific jewel that can’t be imitated or equaled by any other destination in the world,” said Mark Brown, CEO, Imperial Pacific International Holdings. “Macau may always be the leading player in the global gaming industry, but we are building something very special on Saipan and in the bargain, we are making Saipan not only a world-class destination resort, but also one of the very best investment opportunities in the world.” One of the first aspects of the development, the $550 million Imperial Pacific Resort, opens early next year.