In 2023, the Guam Visitors Bureau commissioned Anthology Research, a Hawaii-based market research firm, to survey outbound visitors about their stay on Guam.
The firm surveyed 1,683 Korean and 601 Japanese visitors who visited the island between 2022 and 2023.
Survey results showed that over a third of visitors felt that the beaches in Guam were enjoyable, with over half of visitors going to the beach or swimming in the ocean.
“Guam’s Beaches are a very important part of tourism. They help to identify us as a tropical destination and are a part of our culture,” said Lisa Bordallo, public information officer of GVB.
The I Heart Ypao sign was installed by GVB and the mayor’s office.
The island’s coastline spans 110 miles, and its sandy beaches make up approximately 20 miles of it. Beaches are among Guam’s recreational spots, which offer cultural, economic, and ecological value. The Department of Parks and Recreation oversees 17 of the beach parks on the island, while some fall under care of the village mayor’s office or other government agencies.
While we tout our island’s beaches, the question remains, how are the island’s beaches holding up?
Pollution
The Guam Environmental Protection Agency tests Guam’s 31 recreational beaches each week for concentrations of Enterococci, a type of bacteria found in the gastrointestinal tract of warm-blooded animals and a commonly used indicator of water quality.
While the EPA said the bacteria is not necessarily harmful, it can lead to illness. The agency publishes it findings in the Beach Report. Beaches are put under an advisory if the beach is polluted above biological standards.
RupleyNic Rupley Lee, public information officer for EPA; told the Journal that the criteria to determine whether a beach is under an advisory are designed to reduce the exposure of the public to harmful levels of pathogens while engaging in “water-contact activities.”
Some beach water contamination comes from stormwater runoff, but there are other ways beaches can become contaminated.
“In addition to stormwater runoff, sources of fecal indicator bacteria such as Enterococci include wastewater treatment plant effluent and leaking septic systems,” Lee said. “There are also natural, non-fecal sources of fecal indicator bacteria like plants, sand, soil, and sediments that can be carried into our waters during rainfall.” According to the Conditions and Trends of Recreational Water Quality, a project by the EPA tracking changes in pollution of Guam’s recreational beaches, beaches during the wet season tend to be more polluted on average versus the dry season.
Lee said properly managing your property’s waste disposal systems and reducing runoff can contribute to the reduction of pollutants at beaches.
GVB has not received complaints from visitors regarding water quality, Bordallo said. GVB works with DPR, Park Patrol, their members and industry partners, and military to ensure that information about ocean conditions and risks are communicated with visitors, she said.
Beachgoers can use the Beach Report to make better-informed decisions on where to swim and reduce their risk of illness from pathogens found in the water, Lee said. The agency advises the community to pay attention to the National Weather Service advisories on ocean conditions when planning their trip, he said.
The Beach Report, or the Recreational Waters Pollution Report, is compiled by EPA’s Environmental Monitoring and Analytical Services Division and began in 1974. It is supported by the BEACH Act and the Clean Beaches Plan, federal programs to promote monitoring of coastal waters.
In the past six months, August received the most advisories with 90 being reported by the EPA that month.
Number of Beach Advisories in the last six months Courtesy of the Guam Environmental Protection Agency Visitor Safety
In 2014, GVB began the visitor safety officer program after a 2013 attack on tourists in Tumon The program provides concierge services. Officers also act as tour guides on occasion, but their primary duty is security.
“The VSOs main role is to be a present security system in the area of Tumon and Hagatna where visitors frequent,” Bordallo said. “They collaborate with the [Guam Police Department], Park Police, and other law enforcement to keep visitors and areas safe. They are often the first on scene and provide critical information and help to law enforcement.”
The 17 active VSOs are employed by G4S and contracted by the bureau.
For fiscal 2025, the budget for the VSO, tour guides, and 24/7 concierge service are expected to see a 51% increase.
Apart from the VSOs, GVB has installed a series of solar streetlights to brighten dark roads and beach areas. Bordallo said that the bureau is also working on addressing the abandoned buildings and unkempt properties along Pale San Vitores, also known as Hotel Row, and has formed a task force consisting of all law enforcement and relevant government agencies to collaborate on visitor and resident safety.
DPR also employs the territorial park patrol officers. These are enforcement officers whose job is to routinely patrol the parks under DPR jurisdiction and have the authority to enforce laws, rules, and regulations which can include making arrests and issuing citations. In addition, these officers can operate drones and motorboats and have a part in maintaining local environmental and cultural resources.
There are 12 full-time park patrol officers as well as eight in reserve.
In addition, GPD has a precinct on Hotel Row.
State of the Beaches
The Journal visited three beaches on the island to look at how full and clean the beaches and its facilities are.
It is worth noting that the 2024 Guam International Coastal Cleanup had occurred two weeks prior to the Journal’s visit. In 2022 Guam collected 11,865 pounds of trash with the most common item being cigarette butts.
Asanite Point Beach also known as First Beach in Ipan is a small, relatively cozy beach on the east coast of the island. During the Journal’s visit, the beach had no visitors. Parking at this beach is extremely limited, with no designated parking space. Drivers park their cars alongside the main road or attempt to drive into the beach proper using an uneven, dirt path.
Washed up bamboo trunks and driftwood occupied most of the waterfront and under the trees were small plastic toys, wrappers, and most common, bottle caps. Asanite Point Beach is not under the EPA’s beach advisory.
Ypao Beach, which also encompasses the Governor Joseph Flores Beach Park, is one of the five principal beaches that make up Tumon Bay. The beach measures roughly 2.3 miles long and ranges from 20 feet to 40 feet wide. The beach park occupies an approximately 20-acre grass field and contains 22 pavilions, an amphitheater, a lifeguard tower, and two bathroom facilities. Parking is accessible on either side of the park.
Trinchera Beach runs from the Paseo to Alupang Beach Tower.
Only a handful of people were there. Most were visitors, but some locals were either exercising or casting their nets into the shallow water. There was no lifeguard present and some of the restroom facilities appeared vandalized and unappealing. The field and the beach were relatively clean, with only a few crushed cans littered the ground and the parking lot. Ypao Beach is not under the EPA’s beach advisory.
Trinchera Beach along Hagatna Bay measures just under a mile long with a width of about 20 feet. Parking and the beach’s seven pavilions are divided into three different sections along Marine Corps Drive The beach was fairly empty when the Journal visited, with one family and some fishermen were in the shallows with nets.
The sand was clean but some of the ramps leading to the beach were overgrown with vegetation making passing difficult. The pavilions were mostly clean with the most abundant trash being bottle caps kicked to the corner of the nearby balusters. The beach is under an EPA beach advisory. mbj
