Guam tourism bounces back: GVB claims airline incentives bring visitors

By Pacific Island Times News Staff

Tourism is recovering, the Guam Visitors Bureau said, attributing the resurgence of visitor arrivals to “increased seat capacity spurred by the implementation of attractive airline incentives.”

At the board of directors’ meeting on Thursday, GVB officials reported a double-digit year-over-year increase in visitor arrivals for August, with preliminary figures for September of this year also showing promising upward trends.

Tourism officials said the substantial growth observed over the past two months is a direct result of “strategic initiatives” implemented earlier in the year, such as offering incentives for air carriers to retain current air routes and to attract more flights to Guam.

The government of Guam’s appropriations act for fiscal 2026 includes $10 million for GVB’s program, which includes financial incentives to airlines based on the percentage of seats they fill on their flights to Guam and possible

reimbursement for half the cost of operating flights or providing a minimum guaranteed revenue per flight.

“In conjunction with enhanced airline connectivity, GVB has intensified its marketing efforts across all its primary source markets with multi-faceted strategies leveraging a mix of digital platforms, traditional media, unique events and collaborative partnerships to amplify Guam's appeal as a premier travel destination,” GVB said.

Key highlights from the report:
Visitor Arrivals (August 2025 vs. 2024):
Overall Increase: Significant growth in visitor arrivals compared to the same month last year 
Korea: Increased by 33.9% with 38,476 arrivals in 2025 
    (compared to 28,731 in 2024)
Japan: Increased by 11.5% with 29,168 arrivals in 2025 
   (compared to 26,156 in 2024)
Taiwan: Increased by 386.5%, reaching 866 arrivals in 2025 
   (compared to 178 in 2024)
Other Markets: Philippines saw a 1.9% increase, while US/Hawaii, China, and Hong Kong experienced slight decreases
September 1-15 Arrivals (2025 vs. 2024)
Overall Growth: Continued positive trend for the first half of September.
Korea: Up by 15.4% with 14,133 arrivals
Japan: Increased by 32.8% with 10,676 arrivals
Taiwan: Significant increase of 193.9% with 241 arrivals
Other Markets: Philippines saw a 22% increase, and US/Hawaii increased by 3.3%
Calendar Year-to-Date (January to September 15) (2025 vs. 2024):
Japan: Increased by 19.3% with 173,900 arrivals
Taiwan: Substantial growth of 174.3% with 6,229 arrivals
Philippines: Increased by 10% with 10,051 arrivals
Korea: Experienced a 10.7% decrease, with 246,153 arrivals
TOTAL:  525,595 (-2.2%)
Fiscal Year-to-Date (October to September 15) (2025 vs. 2024):
Japan: Increased by 17% with 229,746 arrivals
Taiwan: Significant growth of 166.2% with 7,433 arrivals.Philippines: Increased by 9.6% with 14,008 arrivals.Korea: Experienced a 12.6% decrease, with 330,952 arrivals.
TOTAL:  700,851 (-3.5%)

GVB has an operational budget $28.8 million for fiscal 2026.

While operating on the same spending level as fiscal 2025, GVB said it has realigned its budget for the current fiscal year, cutting allocations for marketing by 10 percent, and administration by 2 percent.

The agency has raised the allotment for destination development by 24 percent, which includes $800,000—a 40 percent increase from the previous fiscal year—for safety and security. 

GVB’s destination development projects included tree trimming, debris removal and painting of fire hydrants and bollards in Tumon and Tamuning. 

GVB has also increased safety measures by deploying additional beach safety officers in Tumon, Hagatna and other highly visited locations throughout the island

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