Calendar year 2012 proved to be a record-breaking year for arrivals to Guam. The island welcomed over 1.3 million visitors, a degree not seen because the mid to late 1990s. Out of the complete arrivals last year, 182,829 came from Korea, one in all which was the millionth visitor for the year.
“The Korean market is becoming a robust second marketplace for Guam,” Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) General Manager Karl Pangelinan said. “For the fiscal year, Korean arrivals are 45 percent up in comparison with last year. Added service from Korean Airlines and Jeju Air in addition to increased charter flights help push us towards 200,000 visitors. We’re tracking to surpass this goal, and if reached will probably be the top choice of arrivals from Korea in our history.”
Since October of last year through May 2013, GVB’s research department has confirmed a 60% increase of seats servicing Korea and Guam. Cities flying on to Guam are the primary and second most populated cities of Seoul/Incheon and Pusan respectively. A rise in arrivals means greater economic impact and ends up in additional employment opportunities for Guam.
“We are strengthening our reach to the Korea travel market,” Governor of Guam Eddie Baza Calvo said. “We will keep working to welcome more Korean tourists to spend their time and their travel dollars in our hotels, restaurants, boutiques, cultural sites, and shopping centers. All of this implies more jobs and better wages for folks in search of work.”