January 2017 rises to best January ever in tourism history

“We're only getting better!  We have another record-breaking month for our tourism industry.  January 2017 is Guam's best January to date. It’s a great way to kick off the Visit Guam 2017: Year of Love campaign. The Calvo Tenorio Administration congratulates the Guam Visitors Bureau and its tourism partners on a job well done. Let’s keep sharing our Chamorro culture and warm hospitality with our guests and each other.”

 — Governor Eddie Baza Calvo

 

Best January Ever!

January 2017 is the best January of all time for visitor arrivals. When compared to the previous year, January arrivals increased by 5.2% with 136,029 visitors welcomed to our shores. Guam also just experienced its best year in tourism with over 1.53 million visitors coming to Guam in 2016.

“With records broken yet again, it’s easy to see how much visitors love our island and want to partake in our ‘Year of Love’ theme. Guam has so much to offer to the international community. It’s great to see that tourists are choosing to explore the unique beauty and culture of our island paradise and its people,” said Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio.

Guam’s second largest market of Korea noted a 15.3% growth in January, bringing in 56,341 visitors to Guam. While the growth of Korea highlights GVB’s diversification efforts, more specifically, it shows how diversification is happening within the country and growing in other key areas such as Busan (+62.1%) and Daegu (+37.6%).

China also saw a 90.6% boost in arrivals to Guam, thanks in part to United’s direct service from Shanghai and three charter flights bringing in visitors to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Hong Kong arrivals additionally enjoyed a significant increase of 287% in the first full month of air service from HK Express.

“We are proud of achieving yet another milestone with Guam’s visitor arrivals and thank the industry and its public and private partners for really supporting how tourism works for the entire community,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “As much as we want to keep growing and diversifying our markets, we also must keep in mind the need for more hotel rooms.”

Japanese visitor arrivals are holding steady in Tokyo (-1.1%), but Osaka (-27.3%) and Nagoya (-15.7%) have had serious decreases because airline carriers, such as Delta and Korean Air, have pulled out. GVB has made it a top priority to actively continue working with existing airline partners and reaching out to new ones to increase airline seats.

Summary of arrivals

Guam welcomed 136,029 visitors in January 2017, a 5.2% increase when compared to the previous year. Total Fiscal Year-to-Date arrivals are also up 6.3%.

Japan arrivals have decreased 9.1%, but Korea arrivals increased by 15.3%. The People's Republic of China grew by 90.6%, while Taiwan showed a 4.8% increase. Hong Kong arrivals also grew by 287%. Other markets that recorded an increase in arrivals include the Philippines by 65.1%, the U.S. mainland by 7.6%, Canada by 58.2% and Europe by 32.9%.

Civilian sea arrivals are also seeing an increase. In January, Guam saw a boost of 172.6%. In the last several weeks, Guam welcomed four cruise ships, including the Amsterdam, the Nippon Maru, and two visits from the Asuka II. The ships brought about 3,000 people to our shores.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer