Within a few months the first phase of the largest tourist attraction in the island’s history will be opening up on 25 acres of beach property located in the northern-most section of Tumon Bay.  Lina’La’, a cultural and eco-adventure park which is being developed by the Baldyga Group, will help raise awareness about the island’s local culture and should be something everyone is excited about.  The park will be an immersive,  hands-on cultural experience for anyone who visits the park.

The first phase of the project is slated to open to the public this summer, sometime in June, according to Project Manager Ernie Galito.  The cultural theme park will have various sections to showcase the culture of Guam in different ways.  The main attraction in the park will be the “Living Ancient Chamorro Village” which will resemble how Chamorros lived in the past.  Local Chamorros will be in the village speaking the native language and interacting with visitors to add to the overall experience.  In addition, other attractions within the park include a zipline ride, a beach bar/restaurant, a visitor’s center, animal encounters, natural trails and a cultural demonstration area.

The Lina’La’ Cultural and Eco-Adventure Park is being built along Gun Beach near the Nikko Hotel.  Before construction was started to build the park, ancient Chamorro artifacts were found on the land and an archaeological firm was hired to preserve the artifacts.  Included in the archaeological findings were fish hooks, capstones and old pottery.  Many of the artifacts found on the land will be showcased in the visitor center of Lina’La’.  In addition, there have been many formal Chamorro blessings on the land as a sign of respect.

Admission into the park will cost $25 for adults and $15 for children.  Access to the beach bar will be free for everyone.

Topics: ancient Chamorro village, Baldyga Group, chamorro, Chamorro artifacts, Guam attraction, Guam tourist attraction, Gun Beach, Lina'La', Lina'La' Cultural and Eco-Adventure Park, LinaLa Cultural Park, LinaLa Guam, tumon bay

A recent economic forecast report from First Hawaiian Bank in Guam offered some insight into various Guam tourism statistics for the past two decades which include annual visitor arrivals in Guam, the change in annual Guam tourist arrivals, and Guam hotel occupancy and room rates.  Below are the graphs for the Guam tourism statistics just mentioned:

*Graphs courtesy of First Hawaiian Bank

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Topics: Guam hotel occupancy, Guam hotel occupancy statistics, Guam hotel statistics, guam tourism statistics, Guam tourist arrivals, Guam travel statistics, Guam travel stats, Guam visitor arrivals, Tourism

The Guam Visitors Bureau announced today that tourism arrivals are slightly up when compared to last year’s statistics.  International tourist arrivals are up by 3 percent for the first time in many years according to GVB’s general manager; with the majority of tourists coming from the Asian countries of Japan and South Korea.

Recently the Guam Visitors Bureau has been promoting the cultural aspects of the island for those tourists coming to Guam and to entice more tourists to come and visit our island.  Various programs such as the “We Are Guam” campaign, the village murals, and coordination with the village mayors to bring tourists into the villages to experience the island’s culture have been a main focus in promoting Guam to visitors.

Topics: guam tourism industry, guam tourism statistics, Guam travel industry, guam visitors bureau, gvb, Tourism

Pictured above is a section of the  “We are Guam, We are Mangilao” mural which was created in the beginning of January in the village of Mangilao as part of the “We Are Guam” branding initiative by the Guam Visitors Bureau.  The program is meant to showcase the brand identity of Guam and it’s different villages.  This was the first mural to go up in the village of Mangilao out of the upcoming total of 19 for all Guam villages.  The mural in Mangilao depicts scenes which relate to the village of Mangilao.  The next “We Are Guam” mural will be created in the village of Yigo.

So if your visiting Guam and in the village of Mangilao be sure to check out the 114 x 14 feet mural which is in the intersection of Routes 10 and 15.

Note: To see the full mural click on the image above.

Topics: guam visitors bureau, gvb, mangilao, mangilao guam, mangilao mural, we are guam, we are guam we are mangilao

Although the amount of tourists who visited Guam increased in September, the total amount of visitors for the year will fall short of the total visitors compared to last year according to the Guam Visitors Bureau.

Last year the island saw an overall total of 1.14 million visitors to Guam for the year, while projections for this year will be around 1.05 million tourists.  A survey by GVB also showed that tourists who come to Guam are also spending less on average than they did last year.

The decline in Guam’s tourism industry is more than likely a result of the bad global economy, but with analysts saying the worst is over hopefully our tourism industry will begin to pickup next year.  One aspect which might help improve the amount of visitors to Guam in the near future is the current decline of the United States dollar when compared to other world currencies.  A weak U.S. dollar makes it more affordable for visitors from other countries to vacation in U.S. destinations while hopefully spending more, as the weak U.S. dollar give these international visitors more spending power during their vacation.  The current decline in the U.S. dollar with respect to the Japanese yen can be a positive situation for Guam, as a majority of tourists who visit Guam come from Japan.

Topics: guam tourism industry, guam tourism statistics, guam tourism stats, guam tourist, guam visitors bureau, gvb, Tourism