The American island territory of Guam is loved by tourists for its year-round warm weather and beautiful natural environment. Although it would be hard to make a direct comparison with Jeju, there’s much to learn from Guam’s tourism policy of valuing quality over quantity… and preservation over development. Lee Hee-jung reports.
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Guam welcomed 1.3m tourists in 2014: only 1/10 of Jeju’s total

The world famous resort island of Guam… was visited by 1.3 million tourists in 2014. That’s only one tenth the number of people who visited Jeju in the same period.

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Focus on extended stays

Guam expects to see around 2 million tourists in 2020, thanks to the recent increase in budget airlines to the island. But officials are less concerned about figures as they are about extending the authorized period of stay for tourists.

[INTERVIEW]
Gina Kono / Korea Marketing Committee, Guam Visitors Bureau
지나 코노 괌 관광청 한국마켓 담당
(English)

Today, Guam is most visited by young independent travelers. To suit their needs, the tourism board currently places an emphasis on developing marine leisure programs and food themed tours.

Every month, the Guam Visitors Bureau collects survey data from tourists and uses it in its marketing strategies.

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Development kept to minimum

To increase tourism profits, Guam’s local government focuses on upgrading the quality of its facilities but keeps development to a minimum in order to preserve the natural environment. Only 20 percent of the island has been developed, the largest site being Tumon Bay.

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Kim Yong-min

In fact, developing new tourist sites is not even included in Guam’s plans for 2020. However the local government has stated that by 2020, it will encourage developers to build 1,600 new hotel rooms… especially through the expansion of existing luxury hotels.

[INTERVIEW]
Bart Jackson / Korea Marketing Committee, Guam Visitors Bureau
바트 잭슨 괌 관광청 한국마케팅위원회 회장
(English)

[reporter]
Lee Hee-jung

In order for Jeju to become a global vacation destination… new strategies are needed at this time... to preserve the island’s natural environment and create added value through quality upgrades.

Lee Hee-jung KCTV