We were then having an easier time with arrivals so it didn’t seem that we even had a low season anymore. But over the past few years, the lack of numbers and the low per-head expenditure of our visitors have put us in a position where we must do something, and quick.
The Chinese we were trying to bring in are among the most sought-after visitors in the world today. They are traveling in record numbers and are spending on the average per person higher than ever imagined. It is more for the destination to adjust to the needs of the traveler than perhaps the other way around. Chinese would love Guam, but can we deal with the expectations they have from a destination and can we give them enough to make them want to come back again as repeaters?
The visa waiver attempt made more than a decade ago was as good as could be expected because at the time, we were dealing with a more lucrative Japan market. The Japan market has changed a lot over the past few years. We are in fact attracting what could be considered the low end of the market as a whole. They spend far less than those who came in the past.
We must do more than we have done and make sure the Chinese experience on Guam is more than us just looking at them as being nothing more than dollar signs walking down the road. The visa waiver is not being opposed by the U.S. military, at least not outwardly. We should be getting it very soon.
FELIX AGUON
Quezon City and Guam
