Taiwan travel group to open Guam office; charters to continue through July
Lion Travel Group of Taipei is chartering Starlux Airlines to fly an Airbus A321neo every five days between Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei to the A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam.
Lion Travel will open an office in Guam at the Hyatt Regency Guam within weeks. It’s aim is to work locally with GVB to provide more options for tourists who come to Guam from Taipei, its representatives told the Journal. The flight that brought a team of Lion senior executives and marketing staff to Guam on April 9 was about 90% full, with 177 seats occupied out of 188 seats.
GVB is also supporting the charter flights by working with Lion Travel as well as local restaurants to offer added value to travel packages. Participating local restaurants include Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro, Three Squares by B&G Pacific, Pika’s Café and Little Pika’s, according to GVB.
Lion Travel was responsible for bringing charter flights from Taiwan to Guam for GVB’s Air V&V program in 2021. Paul Chen, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam was instrumental in making the connections between GVB and the travel company, Lion Travel said. Taiwanese came to Guam on five day packages as part of the Air V&V program.
Starlux flights depart Taipei at 10.30 a.m., arriving in Guam at 4.20 p.m. and leave Guam at 5.20 p.m. arriving in Taipei at 7.25 p.m.
Starlux Airlines has added additional charter flights from Taiwan to Guam, increasing the number of flights from 22 to 30 and extending the charters through July 31, according to GVB.
According to GVB statistics, Taiwan was Guam’s third largest market with more than 28,000 visitors that came to the island in fiscal 2019. They are by far the top spenders of Guam’s visitor markets, with prepaid and on-island expenditures exceeding more than $2,000 per person.
Launched in 2020, Starlux also flies to 15 Asian destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Sendai, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu. The airline received U.S. Department of Transport approval to fly charters to Guam, Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle and San Jose in April 2021, according to Journal files.
A Guam Visitors Bureau delegation, including Guam mayors, visited Taipei in January, hosting a gala celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Sister City Agreement between Taipei and Guam for more than 80 Taiwanese government officials and partners from the travel trade industry, media, airline executives and tourism industry experts, according to Journal files.
FAM Tours update:
A group of 30 media from Taiwan are visiting Guam for five days. The group’s travel was arranged through Lion Travel Group in Taipei and the group traveled on Starlux Airlines, arriving April 9. The media were due to stay at the Hyatt Regency Guam and The Tsubaki Tower.
The visiting group also met with representatives of Guam’s news media at a mixer the same evening at the Hyatt, hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam and GVB. The Taiwanese group included professional media from print, television, and radio broadcast organizations as well as “opinion leaders,” according to GVB.
The One Guam Trade Familiarization Tour will take place from April 12 to April 16. GVB will host up to 40 travel agents focused on Group/MICE sales. The FAM Tour is part of GVB efforts to promote the GoGo Guam Summer Campaign in Japan, according to GVB. A One Guam Trade Show scheduled for April 13 from 9.30 a.m. to noon at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort.
New management brewing at Guam coffee chain
Torgun and Margaret “Peggy” Paulino Smith will be taking “over the reins” of Island Girl Coffee ‘n Quenchers, according to an April 4 announcement from Richard Hawes, outgoing owner. The Smiths became shareholders in May 2022. Torgun Smith is also the vice president and general manager of Morrico Equipment.
Jennifer Holbrook-Fegurgur has been appointed general manager. She previously was general manager at Archway Inc. Holbrook-Fegurgur is also a nutritionist.
Hawes became sole proprietor of Island Girl in 2019, according to Journal files, and since that time the business has grown from two locations to five. Island Girl now has more than 50 employees, he said. Shalyn F. Allen, general manager and most recently managing director, is also leaving Island Girl.
Hawes is also managing director of Gemkell group, which has been majority owned by Tan Holdings since 2014. Allen is also owner and principal broker of Welcome Home Realty. Hawes and Allen are also shareholders and partners in Shamrock Inc., which does business as Shamrocks Pub & Eatery. Jeffrey and Connie Hurley founded Island Girl in 2011, according to Journal files.
Eswatini runner to compete in Palau race
Mancoba Nhlabatsi – an Eswatini athlete – will compete in the Belau Omal Marathon in Palau on June 4. He will compete in the half marathon of almost 21.1 kms, or just over 13.1 miles.
Nhlabatsi, who works with the Royal Eswatini Police Force, is being sponsored by the Taiwan Embassy in Eswatini. Runners from Taiwan are also expected to compete in the Palau event.
Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is a landlocked country that borders South Africa and Swaziland. The country first participated in the Olympic Games as Swaziland in 1972.
Guam now has 4,000 H-2B workers
The number of H-2B workers approved to work on Guam reached 4,000 H-2B, according to the Office of the Governor. The arrival of Ronel Tramado, originally from Quezon City, Philippines, marks a “record-setting number of foreign workers since the island’s hotel construction boom in 1995,” a release said.
H-2B workers are available to work on construction projects in the civilian sector, including projects related to commercial buildings, home construction, and government facilities. Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio said the influx of foreign laborers supports efforts to lower the cost of building new homes.
In late 2015, officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services started denying applications from Guam companies for H-2B visa applications, creating a labor shortage that increased the prices of construction. That also caused delays in construction projects throughout the island, according to Journal files. Once it started to impact military construction, Congress initially passed legislation allowing for foreign workers for military projects but then contractors working on projects in the community received approval, according to Journal files.
The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration recently started work with the Philippine government to establish a Migrant Workers Office and dedicated labor attaché to streamline the approval process of H-2B visa applications to Guam. Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero said the increased number of workers indicates that “Guam is well into recovery.”
“We welcome every foreign worker who is engaged in the work of helping our island expand local labor resources and strengthen national security. With a historic number of H-2B workers, we can expect more construction progress and more opportunities to keep Guam moving forward,” the governor said.
And also:
Four B-52 bombers and more than 200 personnel from the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on March 30, for the next bomber rotation, according to a Pacific Air Forces release. The B-52s arrival comes after the March 5 end of the last rotation by B-1s and personnel from the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., on March 5.
The Guam Ko’ko’ Road Race and Guam Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run will return on April 15 and 16 in Tumon and Tamuning, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau. Register at visitguam.com/koko. GVB is also planning the return of the Guam Micronesia Island Fair from May 12 to 14 at the Gov. Joseph Flores Beach Park (Ypao Beach Park). mbj
Lion Travel Group of Taipei is chartering Starlux Airlines to fly an Airbus A321neo every five days between Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei to the A.B. Won Pat International Airport, Guam.
Lion Travel will open an office in Guam at the Hyatt Regency Guam within weeks. It’s aim is to work locally with GVB to provide more options for tourists who come to Guam from Taipei, its representatives told the Journal. The flight that brought a team of Lion senior executives and marketing staff to Guam on April 9 was about 90% full, with 177 seats occupied out of 188 seats.
GVB is also supporting the charter flights by working with Lion Travel as well as local restaurants to offer added value to travel packages. Participating local restaurants include Meskla Chamoru Fusion Bistro, Three Squares by B&G Pacific, Pika’s Café and Little Pika’s, according to GVB.
Lion Travel was responsible for bringing charter flights from Taiwan to Guam for GVB’s Air V&V program in 2021. Paul Chen, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam was instrumental in making the connections between GVB and the travel company, Lion Travel said. Taiwanese came to Guam on five day packages as part of the Air V&V program.
Starlux flights depart Taipei at 10.30 a.m., arriving in Guam at 4.20 p.m. and leave Guam at 5.20 p.m. arriving in Taipei at 7.25 p.m.
Starlux Airlines has added additional charter flights from Taiwan to Guam, increasing the number of flights from 22 to 30 and extending the charters through July 31, according to GVB.
According to GVB statistics, Taiwan was Guam’s third largest market with more than 28,000 visitors that came to the island in fiscal 2019. They are by far the top spenders of Guam’s visitor markets, with prepaid and on-island expenditures exceeding more than $2,000 per person.
Launched in 2020, Starlux also flies to 15 Asian destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Sendai, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu. The airline received U.S. Department of Transport approval to fly charters to Guam, Honolulu, San Francisco, Seattle and San Jose in April 2021, according to Journal files.
A Guam Visitors Bureau delegation, including Guam mayors, visited Taipei in January, hosting a gala celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Sister City Agreement between Taipei and Guam for more than 80 Taiwanese government officials and partners from the travel trade industry, media, airline executives and tourism industry experts, according to Journal files.
FAM Tours update:
A group of 30 media from Taiwan are visiting Guam for five days. The group’s travel was arranged through Lion Travel Group in Taipei and the group traveled on Starlux Airlines, arriving April 9. The media were due to stay at the Hyatt Regency Guam and The Tsubaki Tower.
The visiting group also met with representatives of Guam’s news media at a mixer the same evening at the Hyatt, hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam and GVB. The Taiwanese group included professional media from print, television, and radio broadcast organizations as well as “opinion leaders,” according to GVB.
The One Guam Trade Familiarization Tour will take place from April 12 to April 16. GVB will host up to 40 travel agents focused on Group/MICE sales. The FAM Tour is part of GVB efforts to promote the GoGo Guam Summer Campaign in Japan, according to GVB. A One Guam Trade Show scheduled for April 13 from 9.30 a.m. to noon at the Dusit Thani Guam Resort.
New management brewing at Guam coffee chain
Torgun and Margaret “Peggy” Paulino Smith will be taking “over the reins” of Island Girl Coffee ‘n Quenchers, according to an April 4 announcement from Richard Hawes, outgoing owner. The Smiths became shareholders in May 2022. Torgun Smith is also the vice president and general manager of Morrico Equipment.
Jennifer Holbrook-Fegurgur has been appointed general manager. She previously was general manager at Archway Inc. Holbrook-Fegurgur is also a nutritionist.
Hawes became sole proprietor of Island Girl in 2019, according to Journal files, and since that time the business has grown from two locations to five. Island Girl now has more than 50 employees, he said. Shalyn F. Allen, general manager and most recently managing director, is also leaving Island Girl.
Hawes is also managing director of Gemkell group, which has been majority owned by Tan Holdings since 2014. Allen is also owner and principal broker of Welcome Home Realty. Hawes and Allen are also shareholders and partners in Shamrock Inc., which does business as Shamrocks Pub & Eatery. Jeffrey and Connie Hurley founded Island Girl in 2011, according to Journal files.
Eswatini runner to compete in Palau race
Mancoba Nhlabatsi – an Eswatini athlete – will compete in the Belau Omal Marathon in Palau on June 4. He will compete in the half marathon of almost 21.1 kms, or just over 13.1 miles.
Nhlabatsi, who works with the Royal Eswatini Police Force, is being sponsored by the Taiwan Embassy in Eswatini. Runners from Taiwan are also expected to compete in the Palau event.
Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland) is a landlocked country that borders South Africa and Swaziland. The country first participated in the Olympic Games as Swaziland in 1972.
Guam now has 4,000 H-2B workers
The number of H-2B workers approved to work on Guam reached 4,000 H-2B, according to the Office of the Governor. The arrival of Ronel Tramado, originally from Quezon City, Philippines, marks a “record-setting number of foreign workers since the island’s hotel construction boom in 1995,” a release said.
H-2B workers are available to work on construction projects in the civilian sector, including projects related to commercial buildings, home construction, and government facilities. Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio said the influx of foreign laborers supports efforts to lower the cost of building new homes.
In late 2015, officials with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services started denying applications from Guam companies for H-2B visa applications, creating a labor shortage that increased the prices of construction. That also caused delays in construction projects throughout the island, according to Journal files. Once it started to impact military construction, Congress initially passed legislation allowing for foreign workers for military projects but then contractors working on projects in the community received approval, according to Journal files.
The Leon Guerrero-Tenorio administration recently started work with the Philippine government to establish a Migrant Workers Office and dedicated labor attaché to streamline the approval process of H-2B visa applications to Guam. Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero said the increased number of workers indicates that “Guam is well into recovery.”
“We welcome every foreign worker who is engaged in the work of helping our island expand local labor resources and strengthen national security. With a historic number of H-2B workers, we can expect more construction progress and more opportunities to keep Guam moving forward,” the governor said.
And also:
Four B-52 bombers and more than 200 personnel from the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., arrived at Andersen Air Force Base on March 30, for the next bomber rotation, according to a Pacific Air Forces release. The B-52s arrival comes after the March 5 end of the last rotation by B-1s and personnel from the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., on March 5.
The Guam Ko’ko’ Road Race and Guam Ko’ko’ Kids Fun Run will return on April 15 and 16 in Tumon and Tamuning, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau. Register at visitguam.com/koko. GVB is also planning the return of the Guam Micronesia Island Fair from May 12 to 14 at the Gov. Joseph Flores Beach Park (Ypao Beach Park). mbj