Calendar year 2012 proved to be a record-breaking year for arrivals to Guam. The island welcomed over 1.3 million visitors, a level not seen since the mid to late 1990s. Out of the total arrivals last year, 182,829 came from Korea, one of which was the millionth visitor for the year.

“The Korean market is becoming a strong second market for Guam,” Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) General Manager Karl Pangelinan said. “For the fiscal year, Korean arrivals are 45 percent up compared to last year. Added service from Korean Airlines and Jeju Air as well as increased charter flights help push us closer to 200,000 visitors. We are tracking to surpass this goal, and if reached it will be the highest number of arrivals from Korea in our history.”

Since October of last year through May 2013, GVB’s research department has confirmed a 60% increase of seats servicing Korea and Guam. Cities flying directly to Guam are the first and second most populated cities of Seoul/Incheon and Pusan respectively. An increase in arrivals means greater economic impact and leads to additional employment opportunities for Guam.

“We are strengthening our reach to the Korea travel market,” Governor of Guam Eddie Baza Calvo said. “We will keep working to welcome more Korean tourists to spend their time and their travel dollars in our hotels, restaurants, boutiques, cultural sites, and shopping centers. All of this means more jobs and higher wages for people looking for work.”