HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Taiwanese tourists have started arriving, some flights from Korea have resumed and Guam reached an 80% adult full vaccination against Covid-19, but a number of tourism-related businesses are still not open.
Prior to the pandemic, more than 1,200 businesses directly tourism-related were estimated to be in operation, Guam Visitors Bureau public information officer Josh Tyquiengco said on Monday.
GVB’s preliminary survey in July showed only 41 of them were ready to provide goods and services to tourists.
An updated survey result, now that arrivals have picked up, will be presented at the Recovery Task Force meeting on Wednesday, Tyquiengco said.
The management of Fish Eye Marine Park, the only underwater observatory of its kind in Micronesia, and a popular tourist attraction, said they plan to “tentatively reopen partially in September.”
They have been closed since March 19, 2020.
“We are on a wait-and-see. We are hoping to reopen Fish Eye in September but that is tentative, and it’s for partial opening. The Covid cases in our main tourism markets of Korea and Japan are still high and they are still affected tremendously by Covid,” the management of Fish Eye said.
The Ride the Ducks land and sea tours had no target reopening date as there are no large number of tourists yet, according to a representative from the company.
Many of Guam’s jet ski, banana boat and similar businesses, such as Guam Seawalker Tours, have yet to reopen. Some dive shops remain on limited operations.
T Galleria Duty Free Shop in Tumon remains closed, and so are many of the retail stores and restaurants in the area.
Many who have retained their jobs during the pandemic are still on reduced work hours.
Chona Yusi, 51, who works as a cleaning and sanitation employee at a mall, said she remains on a 30-hour workweek, far from her regular 40-hour workweek prior to the pandemic.
“Hopefully when a lot of tourists return, we can be paid 40 hours (a week) again,” she said.
GVB asks business to reopen
GVB has been asking businesses to reopen as visitors trickle in, and even paid $18,000 to give free trolley rides for a month to residents, military and tourists as part of revitalizing tourism and businesses.
The first T’Way flight out of South Korea since the pandemic hit resumed on July 31 with 52 passengers out of 189 seats available.
According to GVB’s Tyquiengco, the T’way passengers were a “mixture of returning residents and visitors.”
He said the visitors were not here for GVB’s Air V&V or “vaccination and vacation” program, which drew more than 1,000 visitors from Taiwan so far, and hundreds more this month.
Korean Air will also resume flights on Aug. 6 but GVB said at this point it doesn’t know whether it would carry returning residents or visitors on Air V&V.
Military exercises and those on temporary duty have been helping to fill hotels and bring business to Tumon, along with residents, during the pandemic.
Limited operations
But there are also restaurants, malls and attractions in Tumon that have remained open or have already reopened for residents and military customers.
They include Tumon Sands Plaza, amusement park Tagada Guam, and UnderWater World Guam, which prides itself as one of the longest tunnel-aquariums in the world and the only oceanarium on island.
Other unique attractions such as the Valley of the Latte Adventure Park, which is known for its river cruise, have been gearing up for the return of tourism while also beefing up its attractions for local tourism and military visitors. It recently held a grand opening for its new Micronesia Village.
The Sen. Antonio “Tony” Palomo Guam and Chamorro Educational Facility, or the Guam Museum, on Monday announced on social media its limited reopening to the public for walk-in traffic.
From Tuesday to Friday, it will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Visitors will be allowed to enter the Guam Museum for 30-minute blocks of time in groups of no more than 20,” it said.
Expanded mall hours
Guam was able to fully vaccinate 80% of its adult population on July 29, which was the herd immunity goal against Covid-19 that public officials had been aiming for, to keep residents safe while working to fully reopen the economy.
Guam Premier Outlets expanded mall hours effective Aug. 1, while Agana Shopping Center will do so starting on Aug. 9.
GPO’s mall hours are now from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. while Agana Shopping Center’s mall hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Micronesia Mall’s hours remain at 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., but will further expand once the volume of shoppers increase.
GovGuam still mandates the wearing of masks. As precautionary measures, malls continue to check temperatures and require sanitizing hands upon entry.
The Guam Premier Outlets and a trolley are pictured on Aug. 2. GPO has expanded its hours of operation while the Guam Visitors Bureau has launched free trolley rides to promote business recovery.
