June visitor arrivals break new record

“I’m not surprised to see another double-digit increase in visitor arrivals. June captured the tail end of the Festival of Pacific Arts and the kickoff of the summer months. It’s great to see how the hard work and dedication from the Guam Visitors Bureau and its tourism partners translates into tangible results we can measure. I couldn’t be more proud of the successes in the first half of 2016. The Calvo Tenorio Administration supports how tourism works for our local community and we look forward to seeing what the second half of the year will bring.”

  — Governor Eddie Baza Calvo

 

Best June in 21 years

Guam welcomed 118,373 visitors in June 2016, a 17.1% increase over the previous year. It also tallies up to be the best June in Guam’s tourism history, beating out a 21 year old record set in June 1995 of 116,718 visitors.

The first part of June wrapped up the largest cultural event for Guam with the closing of the Festival of Pacific Arts. Additionally, increases were also noted in the daily arrivals leading to the Guam Art Exhibit and Electric Island Festival.

"Thank you to our hard working men and women in our tourism industry on a job well done,” said Lt. Governor Ray Tenorio. “We have opened up our home to so many guests in recent months and showcased the beauty of our island and our people to the world in different ways. It’s great to see the milestones being made by those actively making our home a better place to live, work and visit.”

Guam’s second top visitor market of Korea posted a 47.9% increase over the previous year, while arrivals from the People’s Republic of China rose 73.6%. The Philippines also noted an increase of 135.5% over the previous year.

“This is a great time for our island to enjoy the benefits of tourism,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “Money generated from Guam’s top economic driver funds many programs and events that support and promote our culture and way of life, like the Festival of Pacific Arts. As we move forward, we ask everyone to continue to support tourism and the many events and activities that feature Guam as a world class destination of choice.”

Summary of arrivals

Guam welcomed 118,373 visitors in June 2016, a 17.1% increase when compared to 2015. Total Fiscal Year-to-Date arrivals also increased by 10.8%, while total Calendar Year-to-Date arrivals rose by 10.9%.

Japan arrivals saw a slight decrease of 2.3%, while Korea arrivals increased by 47.9%. The Guam Summer Beach Fest and other events through the remainder of the year are planned to help attract more visitors from Japan to Guam. GVB continues to work closely with travel agents and those in the travel trade industry to improve visitor numbers from Guam’s top market.

Growth and diversification continues to remain prevalent in a variety of Guam’s visitor markets. Arrivals from Taiwan showed an increase of 25.1%, while Hong Kong saw an 8.8% boost. In addition, other increased arrivals include Palau by 14.9%, Canada by 22.7%, the U.S. mainland by 18.9%, Hawaii by 3.7%, Europe by 39.6%, CNMI by 38.3% and Vietnam by 70%.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer