PACIFIC/REPORT: Guam Tourism Lacks Culture, Food

REPORT: GUAM TOURISM LACKS CULTURE, FOOD

By Gene Park

HAGATNA, Guam (Pacific Daily News, Oct. 16) - If there's one thing Guam needs 
to do to improve tourism, it's provide more local food, according to focus 
group studies presented at the Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association meeting 
yesterday at the Outrigger Guam Resort.

The September study of 49 people in Tokyo said Japanese tourists perceive 
Guam to being culturally lacking, in part because of an insufficient variety 
of food. Out of the group, 29 had visited Guam before, while the rest were 
considering it.

"As far as some tourists are concerned, culture equals food," said Joe 
Ceavey, a Japan-based consultant for Japan Market Intelligence K.K. "Other 
places like Thailand, China and even Okinawa -- they all have unique food."

Ceavey's study was based on two areas of focus. The rational appeal for 
tourists lies in the price and convenience, in which Guam is strong. The 
emotional appeal is where the island needs assistance.

"People have said that there are few non-beach activities besides shopping," 
Ceavey said. "Marketing the island should not focus on shopping, but rather 
the sense of relaxation, or activities like marine sports, which is 
year-round, something other places don't have."

Ceavey said the conclusion came from talking to groups of parents, whose 
children quickly grew bored of beach activities. Another group that expressed 
boredom were elders in their early 60s, which Ceavey said not to 
underestimate.

"We found that elder visitors are a lot younger than we thought," Ceavey 
said. "They come to the island seeking culture and stimulation, and that's 
what should be focused on."

Ceavey also said that the island's natural beauty, particularly the blue 
skies and sea, appeal to tourists.

"There seems to be a lack of communication in that regard," Ceavey said. 
"What needs to be shown is the 'hidden Guam,' showing pictures of the south."

Jay Merrill, GHRA chairman of Market Research and Development, also made a 
presentation on exit surveys conducted in July and August on visitor's 
expectations and impressions of Guam, with 400 tourists surveyed each month.

The survey revealed that the island's safety gained the most approval, 
whereas the cleanliness, or lack of, in public restrooms gained the most 
disapproval.

The exit surveys are an attempt to make gauging the market more user-friendly 
than in the past. Merrill said that it was difficult to ensure timely 
information.

"Practitioners in the past looked at it as a doorstop," Merrill said. "The 
market is a living, breathing organism, and doing this month-to-month will 
establish the immediacy we need and make the information relevant."

The surveys are done at the airport security screening as visitors arrive and 
depart the island. Some are done face-to-face, and some are filled out, 
depending on the situation, Merrill said.

Pa'a Taotao Tano', a cultural preservation group which joined GHRA last 
month, hopes to assist the hotels in differentiating the island as a 
culturally unique destination, said former Supreme Court Chief Justice 
Benjamin J.F. Cruz, treasurer of the group.

"We want to help in educating employees in hotels so they understand the 
culture," Cruz said. "If a guests asks for a certain kind of food, the 
employee can respond, give advice to tourists and direct them to anything 
that is indigenous to the culture."

Frank Rabon, the group's creative director, said the group is working 
together with Guam Visitors Bureau General Manager Tony Lamorena to create an 
educational institute for hotel employees to become familiar with the 
island's culture. Rabon said that employees versed in the indigenous culture 
can hold workshops in weaving and other arts, which solves the problem of the 
lack of non-beach activities.

"In essence, we must start now in giving the right information to tourists," 
Rabon said. "I think we're the only country in the world that promotes other 
cultures but our own. It's our hope that tourists can take something that 
says that they experienced something cultural and unique."

October 16, 2003

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SOURCE: Pacific Islands Report