Overlooking Agana Bay recently
made me think that there are great things to come for Guam and Magnificent
Micronesia.
The surf was a bit higher than usual-carryover of a storm that is slowly pushing away from our area and into Asia. The water was its normal turquoise blue.
Tourists wore smiles on their faces-maybe the sand in their toes or thoughts of
not being at the front end of the bad weather across the Pacific Rim are the
cause.
Clean air.
Not too hot.
Paradise.
As we push into the final quarter
of 2013, the visitor industry is staring down a record year. Visitor arrivals just from Korea alone is
projected to hit nearly a quarter of a million with a net impact of $423
Million USD. August arrival numbers
showed a 5% increase from last year.
Can
Guam hit 1.4 million tourists this year?
Local tourism experts are
hopeful. Hoteliers are optimistic. Airline executives are confident that the number
can be reached or exceeded. Island
residents know what the net impact will be to everyone who depends on robust
activity along Tumon Bay.
A couple of facts: into the next
5 to 10 years, 2 out of 5 international travellers will be Asian. By 2023, China
will overtake the United States to become the world’s largest travel and
tourism economy.
Vice President for Atlantic &
Pacific Sales at United Airlines James Mueller said recently that there are
challenges ahead to boost growth
opportunities for airlines all across Asia. Newspapers and bloggers across the
region are noting that airline growth is being stymied by increasing fuel
prices, which in turn is having an impact on the choosing of new routes.
Director and General at Airport’s
Counsel International (ACI) Angela Gittens said it best that governments in
Asia Pacific by large understand the importance of aviation and the need to
adopt to growing capacities.
Guam will see $100 million in
upgrades at the Guam International Airport to respond to the new normal in the region. The island is poised to become a bigger
player and could soon attract new airlines which in turn brings more visitors.
Such investment is going to see a trickle down effect to hotel properties and
certainly other critical visitor industry infrastructure.
Paradise Guam is poised for
further growth.
Our community must come
together to find new ways to grow our number one industry and protect the
lifeblood of our island economy.