Guam visitors bureau
CONDITIONS IN THE MARKETPLACE
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- WEAKNESSES
- OPPORTUNITIES
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C O N D I T I O N S I N T H E M A R K E T P L A C E
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STRENGTHS
Easy access with direct flight
Koreans prefer to visit the destination where the direct flight services are available because of their short vacation period. There are three national carriers operating Guam and Korea.
Good tourism infra structure
Guam is the tourist destination where many things to see, experience and various types of accommodations, shopping, F&B, etc. GVB has invested lots of budget to maintain the nature of Guam including the Tumon Bay and to develop the infrastructure including the lighting on the streets for the safety, etc.
Safe and Exotic environment
Guam is one of the safest destinations Koreans can travel to and Guam has the beautiful nature including the coral beaches that cannot be found in Korea.
Variety of activities and attractions
Travelers can enjoy many activities on Guam as well as the tourist attractions such as the Two Lovers’ Point, Fort Nuestra Senora de La Soledad, etc.
People & Hafa Adai
Guam peoples are friendly to all visitors and welcome all with the word of Hafa Adai. Guam’s friendly people are it’s best asset. The cultural experiences to be gained from a trip to Guam are quite unique and highly memorable. It truly is a differentiating aspect from competitive destinations.
High visitor satisfaction
Guam is one of most popular destinations for Korean travelers and so the number of repeat visitors to Guam is increasing continuously.
Abundance of Shopping site & Restaurants
From the night market to the duty free shops, there are various types of merchandises and places for shopping. Also, there are various style of restaurants to experience.
No VISA required destination
WEAKNESSES
Limited Hotels to Korean Market
In the peak season, many Korean travel agencies are facing hard time in getting rooms as most of hotels are fully occupied by Japanese. In fact, the leading time of reservation by Japanese is longer than Koreans because there are many last minute bookings from Korea. So hotels prefer to give more blocks to Japanese market.
Hotels need facelift
Current facilities are in need of upgrading. Room quality is in question when comparing Guam to other competing destinations. This is evident in GVB’s Korean Market exit surveys where overall accommodations score falls below 5 on a 7 pt scale.
Lack of new Experience, Product
It is not easy for the repeater to find new activities on Guam. Though hotels continue to renovate their facilities and services yearly, there is a lack of new tourist attractions on Guam compared to other countries.
Optional tour cost
Compared to other competing destinations especially in South East Asian destinations, the cost of optional tours in Guam is quite expensive which increase the package prices accordingly. We all know it is beyond government control, but it is obviously one of weaknesses affecting Guam package prices.
Aging public facility
Guam is within 4 hour flight distance from Korea same as such destinations in S.E Asian like Phuket, Cebu, Hainan, etc. While new hotels and facilities have been built in those destinations especially targeting Korean travelers, there is less chance for travelers to find out the new properties or facilities on Guam. When we consider over 16 percent of repeat travelers, it is required for Guam government to induce more business opportunities to Guam from overseas through the aggressive effort in bringing in the investors to Guam.
Airport arrival experience dreadful
Airport cleanliness and the security processing time are critical factors in the arrival/departure experience for Korean travelers. 34% of travelers have had the security processing experience be between some affect and great affect to their overall experience. 8% of survey respondents said that they wouldn’t come back because of this.
OPPORTUNITIES
Upcoming increase of Flights
Korean Air is planning to operate Busan-Guam flights as the regular service flight and Jin Air, and Jeju Air are expanding to Busan Gateway. And thanks to the increase of market demand, major travel agencies have decided to operate the charter flights in Korea-Guam route in this summer season.
Travelers’ concern on safety issue
Due to many natural disasters and conflicts among countries, Koreans’ concern on safety has been increased rapidly which can be selected as the most important fact in selecting destinations. As Guam has been positioned as the safe destination, it can be the opportunities Guam can expect more visitors from Korea.
Spread of five-day workweek and start substitute holiday from 2014
Guam is a 4-hour flight distance only and has natural beauty Korean weekend travelers are looking for. So more Koreans can visit Guam during their weekend.
Changed perception in Korea of overseas travel - important part of life
Koreans tended to save their incomes for purchasing houses instead of spending them for leisure. However, the current market trend shows that Koreans become to realize the importance of quality of life and the healthy life. To get rid of the stress coming from the daily lives, more Koreans are willing to spend their money for travelling both in Korea or abroad. And Korean parents want their children to experience various cultures and languages, which accelerate the increase of family travelers in the holiday season.
MICE Business
The leading Korean travel agencies consider MICE business a significant portion of their business while MICE business to Guam only represents roughly 5% of their overall Guam business. New facilities are being introduced to the market (Dusit Thani) that will enable greater accommodation for larger MICE groups. There should be a greater focus on this segment.
Increasing passenger demand through strong Marketing and PR Activities
Travel trade has responded with record seat capacity servicing Guam from Korea. It’s paramount that GVB stir consumer demand with strong marketing and PR activities. Korean pop groups, sports teams and TV drama provide the best opportunities for Guam affiliated branding that can drive market demand.
Sports and Edu-Tourism
Like MICE opportunities, sports and education tourism are worthy segments for growth. Signature events such as the Guam International Marathon and Koko Road Race provide for increased sports tourism travel. Additionally, GVB’s recent signing of MOU with Korean Professional Baseball Players Association is a great opportunity for enhanced visibility for the destination.
UOG has made great strides with increasing its English Language program enrollment through strategic partnerships with key Korean Universities. These activities should be thoroughly supported and enhanced with greater sales and promotion focus. This growing segment requires additional support.
Korean Investments
More support and activity is needed for attracting Korean investments into Guam. Strong government support should be encouraged and GVB should enhance its promotion efforts to include investment opportunities.
Budget%20Document%20Library -> Fiscal year 2016 Department: Customs and Quarantine Agency Division/Section: Director’s Office
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