![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.davestravelcorner.com\/wp-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/carl-t-c-gutierrez-w200.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Guam Visitors Bureau<\/p><\/div> My name is Carl T.C. Gutierrez and I am a former governor of\u00a0Guam. I have worked closely with the\u00a0Guam\u00a0Visitor Bureau in the 1990\u2019s to build up our tourism industry.<\/p>\n
Under my administration, tourism thrived and broke records with over one million visitors a year. We reimagined the tourist capital of Tumon with then General Manager Gerry Perez to create Pleasure Island as a long-term attraction that both local and visitors enjoyed for over 20 years.<\/p>\n
This time around, I\u2019m now the President and CEO of GVB and Gerry is my vice president. <\/p>\n
What I enjoy most about working at GVB is connecting with the different people that are overseas to share what is so great about\u00a0Guam.<\/p>\n
Q, Do you think Guam is an underrated island and if so, why is Guam often overlooked by international tourists? <\/strong><\/p>\nI don\u2019t think it\u2019s a matter of potential visitors overlooking\u00a0Guam. It\u2019s a matter of spreading the word that\u00a0Guam\u00a0is open for business and welcomes everyone to its shores. There are many sand and sea destinations that play up the tropical island identity.<\/p>\n
But what makes\u00a0Guam\u00a0so unique from other destinations is our 4,000 years old Chamorro Culture.<\/p>\n
The H\u00e5fa Adai spirit is embedded in everything that we do, and our world famous hospitality draws people to learn more about our people, language, cuisine, and customs.<\/p>\n
Q. What are you\u00a0 plans to bring in more visitors and expand air travel routes to the island?<\/strong><\/p>\nWe are currently in the middle of talking with different airline partners in our source markets and seek to expand our source markets as travel demand improves.<\/p>\n
Our core markets come first as they all have long-standing relationships from business and cultural standpoints. The North America market has been a major market with our visiting friends and family segment and the military travelers.<\/p>\n
However, we are also actively lobbying our federal partners in Washington DC to get the Republic of the Philippines on the\u00a0Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Program, so Filipinos can come and go freely between the Philippines and\u00a0Guam\u00a0without waiting a month for their visas to clear.<\/p>\n
Tens of thousands of Filipinos live, work, and raise their families in\u00a0Guam\u00a0and most of these residents are either naturalized or were born US citizens. In fact, many US citizens are born to Filipino parents in\u00a0Guam.<\/p>\n
But we also welcome hundreds of guest workers every year. Filipino culture is firmly embedded in our island after hundreds of years of trade and travel between our two destinations, enriching Chamorro culture and very likely even predating the 16th-19th century Spanish galleon trade due to our common Austronesian ancestry.<\/p>\n
Working with our airline partners, Malaysia, another country on the\u00a0Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver program, is also a promising source market.<\/p>\n\n\t\t