HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Partner airlines out of South Korea have scheduled to bring up to 3,754 travelers to Guam in August, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau.
“We are excited our Korean carriers are resuming service to Guam. Their commitment is another step forward in the recovery of Guam’s tourism industry and an opportunity to display our Håfa Adai spirit,” said GVB President and Chief Executive Officer Carl Gutierrez. “We are continuing to work hard with our travel trade and tourism partners to showcase our CHamoru culture and elevate the overall Destination Guam experience.”
The agency published a list of confirmed flights for the month on Jin Air, Korean Air and T’way Air. All three companies are expected to bring at least one weekly direct flight to the island. The schedule is subject to change, the bureau stated.
Although only 600 seats have been sold across the airlines for the month so far, just those travelers would result in an exponential spike in arrivals from Guam’s top source market for tourists.
GVB reports show just 95 passengers from South Korea came to Guam in August 2020. Even with the scheduled flights being fully booked, however, the island would still see less than 6% of South Korean arrivals from August 2019 — before the coronavirus pandemic began.
The first flight from the monthlong commitment came on July 31 from T’way. Out of 189 available seats on the flight, 52 passengers booked trips to Guam, the bureau reported. Korean Air will resume air service on Aug. 6 with a weekly flight. Jin Air will begin twice-weekly flights starting Aug. 3 and 6.
GVB has planned to provide a greeting service to welcome the resuming flights throughout the month. Josh Tyquiengco, GVB spokesperson, said the agency was not contracting out the service, and would pay for any costs in-house using its existing budget.
The visitors bureau has been planning an economic rebound for the island, spurred by high vaccination numbers locally. More than 1,000 tourists from Taiwan have come to Guam, some seeking coveted Covid-19 vaccinations during their stays.
GVB has begun a monthlong free trolley service, and is weighing shopping incentives for visitors who choose to vacation here.
Passengers arriving from the first T’way Air flight from South Korea to Guam on July 31, are greeted by staff of the Guam Visitors Bureau and others.
