The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) and its tourism partners recently returned from promoting the island at the annual Hana Tour International Show held in KINTEX, Seoul from June 7 – 10, 2018 and Korea World Travel Fair (KOTFA) held in COEX, Seoul from June 14 – 17, 2018. The Hana Tour International Show welcomed an estimated 83,000 visitors and KOTFA welcomed 50,000 visitors during the respective four-day event.
Led by GVB Board Chairman Milton Morinaga, Team Guam had the largest booth at the Hana Tour International Show among 1,140 booths from 600 destinations and partners that were represented. This was the first year the Hana Tour International Show had a Guam Pavilion with 19 Guam partners under one unified area. GVB’s presence at the show provided support to its members and expressed Guam’s commitment to the travel show. The Hana Tour International Show also served as a direct booking event where Guam sold 2,140 travel packages, resulting in approximately $2.7 million worth in sales.
GVB thanks its local partners for participating at the Hana Tour International Show, which includes Bayview & Oceanview Hotels, Dusit Thani Guam Resort, Fiesta Resort Guam, Guam Plaza Resort & Spa, Guam Reef & Olive Spa Resort, Hilton Guam Resort & Spa, Hotel Nikko Guam, Hyatt Regency Guam, LamLam Tours & Transportation, Lotte Hotel Guam, Nissan Rent-a-Car, Onward Beach Resort Guam, Outrigger Guam Beach Resort, Pacific Star Resort & Spa, Pleasure Island, Royal Orchid Guam Hotel, Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort, Skydive Guam, and The Westin Resort Guam.
Guam wins best booth at KOTFA
Following the Hana Tour International Show, GVB Board Chairman Morinaga led the Guam delegation and Pacific Star Resort & Spa representatives to KOTFA and participated in the opening ceremony on June 14th. Guam received the “Best Booth Design” award out of 60 countries that exhibited at the show at the end of the four-day event.
“I am proud that our delegation was able to take home the best booth award for our island home. They all did such a great job in showcasing Guam’s Håfa Adai spirit and Chamorro culture,” said GVB Board Chairman Morinaga. “KOTFA is one of Korea’s first travel shows and Guam has continued to have a long-standing relationship spanning over 32 years.”
At both travel shows, Team Guam offered a variety of attractions including performances by local music legends Jesse Bais and Ruby Santos, Guam cultural dancers, photo opportunities with Miss Guam Universe 2017 Myana Welch, and an interactive photo booth. Visitors were also able to immerse themselves with a 360-degree virtual reality experience of Guam. Live posts on GVB’s social media were also shared throughout the duration of the travel shows.
Moreover, GVB promoted its Visit Guam 2018 campaign, “#InstaGuam.” The campaign focuses on Guam as an instant vacation for different countries in Asia while encouraging the use of Social Networking Sites (SNS) to promote the island.
Air Service Development
In addition to the travel shows, GVB met with Korean Air and Jeju Air to provide an update on Guam’s promotions and travel trends, and build upon its commitment to growing the Korean market. GVB also participated in the CAPA LCC in North Asia Conference from June 11 – 12, 2018 to receive updates on Low Cost Carrier (LCC) trends and network with various airlines within the Asian region.
“It’s important for GVB to have face time with our airline partners to support not only our Korea market but our other source markets,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “Every opportunity we can get to learn about trends in our region and network with airlines is critical to the growth and development of existing and future air service to Guam.”
As a result of GVB and Guam International Airport Authority’s air service initiatives, Jeju Air recently announced it would open a new non-stop route between the Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Japan and the A.B. Won International Airport in Guam that will run six times weekly starting July 21st. The airline will also launch a connecting flight from Chungju, Korea into KIX and Guam, opening up a new city segment in the Korea market.
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