Muna-Barnes said she fears that without “clear and decisive action,” the uncertainty felt by many in Guam’s community regarding a potential “plummet” may become an “unaffordable loss in consumer and investor confidence that we cannot afford.”
Muna-Barnes proposed that the working group be composed of individuals from the governor’s office, the Guam Visitors Bureau and the Guam Housing and Restaurant Association, as well as major airlines tour package groups and other stakeholders.
Muna-Barnes noted that Guam’s tourism industry is responsible for 20,000 jobs and nearly 60 percent of Guam’s economic base is tourism-related.
Muna-Barnes made recommendations for the governor to consider such as a temporary shift of some marketing dollars from Japan to Guam’s other markets, specifically South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as a temporary moratorium on airline fees paid to the A. B. Won Pat International Airport as long as reasonable offsets can be found.
