By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association met yesterday to introduce its new president and inform its members of the challenges that lie ahead for the association.
GHRA chairman Richard Rennie said the association may face a tourism slowdown as Japanese travel agents have expressed some displeasure with Guam.
The Guam Visitors Bureau is forecasting flat tourism arrivals for the first quarter of this year due to competition from other destinations and the fact that Guam will not have the market shift benefits caused by the tsunami aftermath and the cooling of relations between Japan and China.
These factors, GVB said, caused many Japanese travelers last year to pick Guam over China and other popular Southeast Asian destinations like Thailand.
Despite these challenges, Rennie said the visitor industry remains confident that it will surmount the challenges as hotels continue to improve their properties.
One hotel, the former Palace hotel, is set to open as the new Sheraton Laguna Guam starting April 2007.
“We will continue to work with GVB, the Guam International Airport Authority, the Department of Parks and Recreation, and other agencies to improve destination Guam,” Rennie said.
The GHRA meeting also served as an introduction for Mary Paulino Torre, GHRA’s new president, who replaced longtime president David Tydingco.
Torre was previously employed by TakeCare Health Systems for 10 years as senior vice president of health plan and services for Guam, Saipan and Palau.
In her 10 years of service, Torre was responsible for sales, product development and management, marketing, communications, research and community relations.
Prior to TakeCare, Torre worked for various advertising and public relations agencies in Wisconsin and California and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications-Public Relations and Advertising, with a minor in Marketing, from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
In her speech, Torre said she was deeply honored to have been selected GHRA president, adding that she will continue the good work done by Tydingco to have a sustainable visitor industry and to foster good relations with government agencies and other private sector organizations like the Guam Chamber of Commerce and the Guam Employers Council.
“I truly believe in collaboration. We have to work together to achieve results,” Torre said.
During the meeting, Tydingco was also presented with a special award by the Legislature to recognize his many accomplishments as GHRA president.