IMPROVEMENTS in air connectivity and ease of entry for Chinese tourists heading to Guam are supporting the destination’s desire to capture more arrivals from its core markets, in conjunction with the Visit Guam 2016 campaign.
T’Way Air, a LCC based in Seoul, South Korea, will commence new daily services between Incheon and Guam from September 24, and from Daegu to Guam via Osaka from October 1.
From October 25, China Airlines will add two extra flights a week between Taipei and Guam, resulting in four weekly services. These new air links will join Air Busan’s four-times weekly Busan-Guam flights, launched on July 23.
Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are among the top five source markets for Guam, and the nation’s tourism authorities are targeting 801,000, 400,000 and 49,000 footfalls from these markets respectively for next year.
Guam has also identified China as an important market because of its significant growth potential and the approval of a 10-year visa extension in November 2014 which has made it easier for Chinese travellers to come on shore. Guam has set a target of 30,000 Chinese visitors in 2016.
Jon Nathan Denight, general manager at Guam Visitors Bureau, told TTG Asia e-Daily that working with its airline partner, United Airlines, had resulted in direct flights to Guam from Shanghai.
Through Visit Guam 2016 and an ongoing local campaign, Only on Guam, which complements all the events built around the global promotion blitz, Guam Visitors Bureau aims to tell the world that Guam offers more than just marine activities and shopping.
Key events next year include the PATA Annual Summit 2016, held for the first time there from May 18-21, and the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts from May 22 to June 4. The latter is a travelling festival that occurs every four years in the Pacific.
Denight remarked: “As the chairman of the 12th Festival of Pacific Arts, together with my co-chair First Lady Christine Calvo, it is an honor that Guam was selected to host this prestigious cultural event in 2016.
“In addition to the 27 island nations coming to Guam, we have also invited Taiwan as a guest country. We are looking forward to (holding) the biggest cultural event in our island’s history.”
Meanwhile, Denight pointed out that Guam has many new tourism products to offer. They include the Dusit Thani Guam Resort, a five-star property on Tumon Bay; TaoTao Tasi Beach Dinner Show at Gun Beach Tumon, which features an all-star cast of performers and an all-you-can-eat Chamorro food and BBQ buffet; curated food tours by Guam Food Tours; and Ride the Ducks Guam, an amphibious ride which starts and ends in Tumon.
History buffs can also look forward to the Guam Museum, scheduled to open in 2016 in the heart of Hagatña, which retells the storied history of the destination.
Read more in TTG-PATA Travel Mart 2015 Show Daily
