Sustainable tourism and airline incentives discussed at GVB membership meeting

BY SKYLER OBISPO
Journal Staff 

Sustainable tourism, airline incentives, and the current state and future of the industry on Guam were all topics discussed at the Guam Visitors Bureau membership meeting held on Aug. 14.  “Guam has long been a two trick pony.” 

Sen. Jesse A. Lujan, oversight chairman of the 38th Guam Legislature’s Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Customs, Utilities, and Federal and Foreign Affairs, spoke briefly to the GVB membership, reminding them that the island’s economy is partly propped up by the tourism industry. 

According to figures presented by GVB president and CEO, Régine Biscoe Lee, at the meeting, the pre-COVID economic impact tourism had on Guam is estimated at $2.4 billion, creating 23,100 jobs and generating $252 million in payroll taxes. 

Today, with arrivals still under half of that of 2019, tourism has an impact of $964 million. 

Lujan spoke candidly about the condition of Guam’s economy. 

“We are in ICU, on life support,” he said. 

Guam’s economy has shifted away from tourism, in favor of military development and GovGuam. He said that without tourism, people and businesses will suffer.

Lujan also announced the $10 million allocation to airline incentives in the planned Government of Guam fiscal year 2026 budget. The $10 million is part of $15.2 million in audited fiscal year 2023 excess revenues. 

He added that airline incentives were also included into the governor’s transfer authority. The inclusion means that 15% of the $1.4 billion budget could be tapped to fund additional airline incentives. 

“If we do not invest now, there may not be a tourism industry left to save,” he said. 

Lujan criticised some of his colleagues in the legislature who were against the $10 million allocation to GVB’s airline incentive programs and wanted to issue the funds to the Guam International Airport Authority. He called the notion “reckless” and “unlawful”. 

He ended by calling on the GVB membership to take a proactive approach in the Guam Legislature. 

“Show up for tourism and stand up for Guam,” he said. “We need your support. We are one Guam.” 
Guam’s sustainable tourism future 

Jason Lin, co-founder and CEO of Hotel Zero, and Naomi Oiwa, Japan market development manager of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, spoke to the GVB membership about sustainable tourism practices. 

This is in part of the bureau’s partnership with Guam Green Growth and an emphasis on what Lee calls the Triple Bottom Line (people, planet, and profit). 

Lin, a former GVB media contractor, shared his ideas on how Guam can be an appealing destination to sustainability seeking travelers. 

According to Booking.com’s 2024 Sustainable Travel Report, 75% of global travelers say that they want to travel more sustainably over the next year. In the travel site’s 2023 report, the same percentage of travelers “seek authentic experiences that are representative of the local culture.” 

Lin said that Guam faces strong competition from other Asian destinations. He identified that Guam lacks major cities with robust concert and event tourism, large scale urban centers with fashion and retail offerings, and that there are cheaper island destinations in Southeast Asia. 

“All-in-all we have to change our context and narrative, because there’s just too many competitions right now attracting the limited budget of travel,” he said. 

With airline arrivals still recovering from the pandemic, Lin said that visitors who do come to Guam could stay longer. 

One of the solutions he offered was Green Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibition travel to attract environmental, social, and governance conscious corporate travelers after MICE travel lost momentum due to the pandemic. 

“For Green MICE to happen, I think [that it] needs to be more science based … which is something I found Guam is lacking since I left,” he said. 

Sustainability claims need to be backed by scientific evidence and that the island needs to avoid “greenwashing”. Oiwa defines greenwashing as promoting sustainable tourism without justification. 

Additionally, sustainability-conscious corporate travelers can frame their event hosted on Guam as carbon-neutral through subsidies given to local community projects. 

“It looks great for the corporate [travelers] because they can brag about it,” he said. “That’s great for their ESG report, because these big companies need to publish their ESG report annually … and for us we get a 200% MICE group plus we are, through that effort, contributing some carbon offset through the local projects here on Guam.” 

Travelers can also extend their stay on Guam through integrations with Guam’s sustainability goals, he said, and create and promote policies that include hands-on experiences with local culture, wellness, and environmentally conscious projects.

Lin likens the growth of eco-tourism like the addition of Wi-Fi in hotel rooms; it will be something that many travelers will want going into the future. 

Oiwa said that travelers from Japan are viewing sustainable travel as a necessity and that destinations, including Guam, need to market that to bring more visitors. 

“Sustainable tourism is new ground for the tourism industry, especially for MICE and educational tourism,” she said. 

Oiwa ended by stating that Guam’s sustainable future is going to be a step-by-step process, but the first step should be a big one. mbj