A representative for global hospitality consulting group PKF Hospitality said based on qualitative surveys of travelers in Guam’s main markets of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, the industry needs to be refocused on the one thing that is unique to Guam compared to other markets: the local CHamoru culture.
“We need to make sure the culture is kept authentic and the experience is kept authentic,” said Baron Ah Moo, PKF managing director for the Guam project.
PKF was hired by the Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans in 2023 for what is now a $1.16 million multi-phased project to study and make recommendations on the recovery of Guam’s continued sluggish tourism industry.
Representatives held a news briefing Friday to discuss their recent update to the plan.
Ah Moo said without a substantial change in the current Guam industry infrastructure, “you’ll keep struggling with tourism.”
PKF sub consultant Christopher Kam, who conducted qualitative surveys in each of the key markets, said one of the common sentiments among potential visitors was that “there’s nothing about Guam that makes it an absolute ‘must visit.’’
Kam said respondents also said they are aware of Guam and they don’t have any negative perceptions, “but they see it as just another resort destination.”
“We must give them that ‘must-see’ element,” Kam said.
Ah Moo also said the local tourism industry must become more nimble in order to engage in “micro-targeting,” a strategy to identify and more quickly respond to shifts in markets.
He used a fishing analogy to explain, “Guam is like a small boat. Can we make our boat bigger? Can we identify where the fish are? Do we know what the fish want to eat? Are we baiting our hooks correctly?”
PKF representatives said they have come up with four pilot projects that are actionable and executable right away.
Régine Biscoe Lee, of Mantid Intl., a local subcontractor of PKF said “We need to identify what is our story, and what do we want to share with our visitors.”
She said the immediate projects were selected from a list of nine that were originally planned.
They are:
- Galaide/Sakman canoe project.
- Professional hiking trail development.
- Eco-tourism tree planting.
- Transportation for tourism industry employees.
Ah Moo said one of the most important things is to bring together the “silos” of the public and private sectors and agree on a strategic plan that a third-party would be charged with executing and enforcing.
He said the third party would not be a replacement for any of the current stakeholder groups such as the Guam Visitors Bureau or private industry groups, and that it will require a united and coordinated effort to bring about the critically needed change.
‘On life support’
“The private sector is on life support. They’ve lost faith in the system,” Ah Moo said. “They’re barely surviving and are looking for tactical assistance.”
The PKF recovery plan is separate from a local industry group’s plan that was presented in November to the GVB board, according to PKF representatives.
Ah Moo said for long-term success, “we have to create a strategy that can go out to the private sector that establishes the business case for why they’d like to invest in Guam.”
Kam said the next step in their work will be to interview 750 respondents in each of the key tourist source markets and collect quantitative feedback about Guam as a destination.
The surveys will be meant to understand why people are not traveling to Guam.
“It will identify and inform the strategy of where we put our resources and messaging going forward,” Kam said.
Biscoe Lee said the work on the recovery plan is scheduled to be completed in September.
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