By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE Tourism Education Council is holding the first of its three-part tourism forum series that seeks to educate the community about the importance of tourism.
The first forum will be held today from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Outrigger Hotel featuring Dr. Fred Schumann, who will talk about emerging trends in Japanese overseas travel.
Schumann recently returned from Japan where he spent the last several years.
Schumann first arrived on Guam in 1979 working at various organizations, including Duty Free Shoppers and Pacific Islands Club.
In 1998, he became the general director for the Asia Pacific region of the Athletes Foot Group where he oversaw the franchise business for over 196 stores in Asia and the Middle East.
He recently completed his Ph.D. in Asia Pacific Studies with focus on Asia Pacific tourism.
The next forum is scheduled for March 20, 2007 at the Sinajana Community Center with Ernie Galito of the Guam Visitors Bureau speaking on the topic, “GVB and the numbers—How to interpret them for the small/medium sized business.”
On May 1, 2007 at the Outrigger Hotel, Peter Apo of the Native Hawaiian Hospitality Association will talk about “The importance of the sense of place for the host culture and visitors to the destination, and how a sense of place enhances the destination’s value.”
The Tourism Education Council is a non-profit organization established in 1990 to promote the importance of tourism on Guam.
Supported in part by GVB, the Tourism Education Council also accepts donations from the community.  Donations of any amount are being accepted for this forum series.
Interested donors can make checks to the Tourism Education Council or contact the council at 687-4505 to RSVP for the series or for further information. 
The forum is free and open to all members of the public. Registration will begin at 7:45 a.m. with the presentations starting at 8 a.m.