Philippine arrivals soar in March 2016

“Only three months into the Visit Guam 2016 year and we continue our trend of breaking visitor arrival records. I want to congratulate the Guam Visitors Bureau and their industry partners for bringing us into this new era of tourism and for celebrating Chamorro month with our local residents and visitors. I look forward to seeing more records broken, especially as the PATA Annual Summit and Festival of Pacific Arts draw closer. Biba Guam!”

— Governor Eddie Baza Calvo

 

Second best March recorded in tourism history

Visitor arrivals for March 2016 increased over last year by 0.8% or just over one thousand more travelers. Overall, this is the second best March in Guam’s tourism history with 133,335 visitors welcomed to the island. March 2013 is still the top March with 136,728 visitors recorded.

Spotlight on the Philippines

While Guam’s second largest market of Korea saw an increase of 25.6%, arrivals from the Philippines shined bright with a 125.2% spike over the previous year. The boost inarrivals from Guam’s neighboring country can be attributed to the launch of Cebu Pacific Air’s flight service to Guam, as well as continued support of flights from United Airlines and Philippine Airlines.  GVB’s Research Department also released its updated Philippine visitor profile, which shows travelers from Guam’s growing market generally are older, affluent, married and have a primary mission to shop tax-free in Guam.

“It’s great that our partnership between the local government and private sector is working to support our growing tourism industry,” said GVB General Manager Nathan Denight. “We definitely want to build upon that success by expanding to other countries that have a developing middle class to further grow and diversify our visitor profile. It’s more of a reason why we are seeking Governor Calvo’s assistance to petition the Department of Homeland Security to add the Philippines and Vietnam to the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program. Adding both countries will assist us in attaining our Tourism 2020 goals.”

Summary of arrivals

Guam welcomed 133,335 visitors in March 2016, a 0.8% increase compared to the previous year. Total Fiscal Year-to-Date arrivals rose 9.1%, while total Calendar Year-to-Date arrivals increased 7.4%.

Japan arrivals dipped 9.7%, but Korea arrivals recorded an increase of 25.6%. GVB continues its work with travel agents and other officials in the tourism industry to support the growth of the Japan market, especially during the summer months.

The Philippines grew by 125.2%, while Palau increased by 104.3%. Other visitor markets also showed growth and diversification. Canada rose by 44% and Hong Kong shot up by 39.9%.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer