The Guam Visitors Bureau’s year-to-date revenues for 2024 saw an increase versus last year.
In addition, six applicants for the vacant president and general management position will be looked at by the GVB board starting Jan. 24.
The board met on Jan. 13 at its first meeting of the new year.
Attending virtually, GVB’s financial controller, Rudd Gudmalin, reported that YTD revenues for 2024 were $7.6 million, a 27% increase from 2023.
Gudmalin reported increases in Government of Guam appropriations to the Bureau as well as large gains from membership dues and the consumption tax refund.
Moreover, total expenditure fell for GVB by 7% from 2023.
Applications for the next president and general manager close on Jan. 15. GVB has received six applications for the position and the board’s Search Committee will meet at a continuation of the Jan. 13 session next week Friday, Jan. 24.
The committee will look over the applicants and conduct interviews and will report its findings to the board at a later date.
Board chairman George Chiu also requested that GVB management prepare a request for procurement for a firm to help the bureau find a candidate in the event the committee cannot find a suitable one.
Airline seats from South Korea expected to fall
Jeju Air is slated to reduce the number of international and domestic flights by 10% to 15% this month.
Gerald S.A. Perez, acting president of GVB, said the reduction for international flights will begin the third week of January with domestic flights already seeing reduced numbers.
From Jan. 24 to Mar. 3, the Bureau is anticipating a loss of 5,481 seats.
Perez mentioned that the South Korean airline is reducing the number of flights to focus on aircraft maintenance in light of the Dec. 29 crash.
However, Jeju Air will resume additional service beginning July 1 to Oct. 25 which would yield 22,113 seats. Overall, it is projected that seat capacity for South Korea will be at roughly 70% of pre-COVID levels for 2025.
In the Northern Mariana Islands, the South Korean carrier prematurely ended its Busan to Saipan charter flights but will maintain its Seoul to Saipan flights according to a report in Radio New Zealand. mbj