Former Gov. Carl Gutierrez, president of the Guam Visitors Bureau, and Ho Eun, Core Tech International chairman and chairman of the GVB board of directors Korea Market committee, are in South Korea convincing travel groups and the broader market to visit Guam.
The men were featured in the JoongAng Ilbo, also known as the Korea Central Daily (one of the top newspapers in the country), last week for their marketing efforts.
The South Korean government recently relaxed coronavirus restrictions for its residents returning from travel, making it more likely its citizens will begin traveling again. Mr. Gutierrez quickly picked up on queue and began implementing a marketing strategy even before the Korean government made its announcement.
The Korean market was Guam’s largest tourism market prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials have historically estimated tourism accounts for more than 60 percent of economic activity on Guam, pre-pandemic. Almost all cash coming into and circulating on Guam since the pandemic has been due to federal transfers-in thanks to the U.S. Congress, and military spending. Federal unemployment aid already has ended, and federal pandemic aid soon will tap out as well, making tourism’s return all-the-more critical to Guam’s economic survival.
