HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Guam’s source tourism markets continue to relax restrictions for vacationers and returning residents, who will be met by increasing flights into the island over the next few months.
The updates to Guam’s tourism recovery plans were found in a monthly report filed by the Guam Visitors Bureau during the Covid-19 pandemic.
For South Korea, the island’s top source market before the global health emergency, the bureau reported a continued ramping up of inbound flights to Guam over the next two months.
Major carriers Korean Air, Jin Air and Air Seoul are expected to increase their weekly flights from Incheon to Guam from four to seven flights weekly in June, contributing to the monthly outbound seat capacity rising from 18,083 in May to a projected 25,430 in June. A further increase to 34,130 in monthly seat capacity is projected for July.
Effective June 1, South Korea no longer requires a returning citizen or visitor to take an antigen test for Covid-19 on the fifth or sixth day after arriving in the country.
Japan has begun to open its borders slowly to tourists, beginning with scheduled group tours from select countries this month. “Waterfront measures,” according to GVB, will increase the number of people allowed to enter Japan daily from 10,000 to 20,000.
Airlines in Japan have announced plans to bump up their scheduled flights to Guam. United, Japan Airlines, T’way and Jeju Air will all resume flights in June and July, the bureau reported.
GVB is hoping to court more visitors from the Philippines as well, following the visit of Rei Germar, a social media influencer from the Philippines, who showcased her Guam vacation on her social media platforms. The country has relaxed restrictions for both fully vaccinated nationals and foreigners looking to enter or leave the country.
Filipinos are packing and heading to Europe, the United States and the Holy Land, GVB reported.
“The outbound travel business is perking up as Filipinos take their families on vacations abroad, and private companies are now allowing their executives to pay courtesy visits on clients,” the bureau stated.
Liberation Day sponsors sought
GVB, in the report, also promoted sponsorships for this year’s Liberation Day festivities. Confirmed events include the resumption of the annual Liberation Day parade, a drone light show and fireworks display, along with a special “Fandanña Friday” at Gov. Joseph Flores Beach Park, or Ypao Beach, that will include fireworks and a “Liberation Freedom Jump.” Sponsorships, according to the official application, range from $1,000 to $20,000.
The theme for Guam’s 78th Liberation Day is “Minetgot para ta hulat, hinengge para ta usuni,” which translates to: “The strength to overcome, the faith to persevere,” and invokes the island’s patroness, Santa Marian Kamalen, as a symbol of Guamanians’ strength and faith.
“Santa Marian Kamalen saw our people through incredibly difficult circumstances and held this island strong. Today, we’ve also overcome difficulties in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic and all the hardships that have followed, but the strength of our island people has been evident and our faith to persevere has shone through,” GVB stated.
Tourists arrive at the Micronesia Mall in Dededo on a Lam Lam Tours trolley, Thursday, June 2, 2022.
