The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) invites local businesses to prepare for the anticipated increase of Chinese visitors to Guam by attending its symposium to learn the latest market trends and how it can benefit business. With the support of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), GVB will host a China Outbound Travel Market Symposium on May 22.

In Calendar Year (CY) 2012, Chinese outbound departures achieved 83.18 million in total, representing a year-on-year growth of 18.41%. The number of outbound departures is expected to keep increasing at an average growth rate of over 10% in next 10 years. By 2015, about 100,000 million outbound departures is forecasted, according to Mr. Shao QiWei, Chairman of the China National Tourism Association (CNTA). Arrivals from China to Guam rose from 7,068 to 8,939 – a significant increase of 26.5% compared to CY2011. While China arrival numbers are expected to continue to rise, a visa waiver for China would increase visitor arrivals dramatically. This is important because Chinese outbound travelers, who have high incomes and are well educated, have steadily increased over the past several years, and Guam’s economy can benefit by obtaining market share from this lucrative target segment.

“There is extensive work being done in Guam and Washington DC to facilitate a visa waiver for China,” said GVB General Manager Karl A. Pangelinan. “Based on information Governor Calvo brought back from meetings on his recent trip to the nation’s capitol, we expect a decision to be made later this year.”

GVB hosted the first symposium in October 2010, which focused on understanding the profile of Chinese outbound travelers and how to generate relationships with Chinese agencies to build Guam’s awareness in China. This year, the symposium is scheduled for May 22, 2013 and will be a full-day event focused on how to maximize opportunities in welcoming increasing numbers of Chinese visitors by meeting their travel wants and needs.