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(Tokyo, Japan) Officials with the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) and the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, Guam (GIAA) are taking further action to step up recovery efforts in Guam’s tourism industry by meeting with different air carriers in Japan. Led by GVB President & CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez and GIAA Deputy Executive Manager Artemio “Ricky” Hernandez, Ph.D., the Guam delegation has already met with Jetstar Japan to discuss the possibility of Japan Airlines' low-cost carrier (LCC) opening new service to the island. The group originally met with the airline six months ago. “We are aggressively looking for ways to improve air traffic to Guam, which will help us with the recovery of our tourism industry and drive competition. I thank the airport team for joining us to show Japan that we are fully committed to new possibilities for travel to Guam. We know our hard work will make it easier and more affordable for the average traveler to choose our island paradise and for our local people to visit Japan too,” stated Gutierrez. GIAA’s Dr. Hernandez added, “Now that the Japanese government has further eased travel restrictions for those who travel to Guam to return home, we continue to work with our current airline partners to resume pre-pandemic flight activity. But we also want to capitalize on opportunities that have emerged due to the pandemic to increase Guam’s air service offerings from Japan. Any opportunity to attract new or additional air service to Guam can enhance our island’s economic recovery.” The Airport and GVB have been working closely together on multiple levels, having met with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) in Washington D.C. last month to learn how Guam can utilize unused U.S. military plane slots at the Tokyo Haneda Airport. GVB and GIAA are seeking to branch out further to drive more air traffic to Guam by proposing new routes with foreign carriers through Haneda. On Thursday, the delegation is slated to meet with the US Embassy officials to elaborate on the Guam discussions with the USDOT. They will then go on to Haneda Airport to meet with the President & CEO of Tokyo International Air Terminal Corp. and the Chairman of the Board of Directors & CEO of Japan Air Terminal Co., Ltd. Following the Japan mission, the Guam officials will have meetings in Manila with Philippine Airlines (PAL) to further discuss prospects for expanded air service by PAL.
Photo caption:
(L-R) Yusuke Akiba, GVB Japan executive director; Asami Onishi, Jetstar Japan Co., Ltd. commercial coordinator; Shintaro Yamazaki, Jetstar Japan Co., Ltd. acting manager, network, government and airport; Dr. Artemio "Ricky" Hernandez, GIAA deputy executive manager; Carl T.C. Gutierrez, GVB president and CEO; Motohisa Abe, Jetstar Japan Co., Ltd. chief commercial officer; Jun Ogasawara, Jetstar Japan Co., Ltd. commercial manager; Frank R. Santos, Transportation Management Group, principal consultant; and Nobuyoshi Shoji, GVB Japan account director.
