By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

GOVERNOR Felix P. Camacho yesterday thanked Korean Consul General Chang-son Kim for his valuable contributions to the local Korean community during his term on Guam.
Kim will be leaving Guam on Saturday to return to Korea after completing more than a year of service as the Korean consul general.
“Consul General Kim built lasting relationships, and helped our Korean community to prosper. He has been a true advocate for Guam who has actively encouraged a greater relationship among our people,” Camacho said.
The governor also congratulated Kim for his successful efforts in helping to build the Korean Chamber of Commerce and thanked him for his advocacy in strengthening Guam’s tourism efforts in Korea.
At present, Korea is Guam’s second largest visitor source. Some 90,000 Korean visitors arrived on Guam in 2005.
Since last year, visitors from Korea have been on an upswing and a recent poll showed that Guam was the third favorite destination of Korean honeymooners.
The Guam Visitors Bureau has long been marketing Guam as a wedding and honeymoon destination for Koreans, citing the short distance between the two places, and the bureau’s efforts appear to be paying off.
During the last two years, Korea outbound travel has increased to an average of 14 percent and GVB arrival numbers show a 13 percent increase from calendar year 2005.