(Tumon, Guam) The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) is proud to announce that Guam won two prestigious awards at the Busan International Travel (BITF) Fair in Korea, which was held from September 11-14, 2015. About 103,000 travel trade partners and consumers attended the 18th annual premier event.

Guam left a lasting impression on the international community and received awards for “Best Booth Design” and “Best Folklore Performance” out of the 250 exhibitors from 45 different countries that were a part of the travel fair. This is the third consecutive year that Guam won the “Best Folklore Performance” award. The Guam delegation was comprised of GVB Board Director Bart Jackson, Deputy General Manager Telo Taitague, Marketing Manager Pilar Laguaña, Marketing Officer II Gina Kono, Cultural Heritage Officer Dee Hernandez, Miss Guam Chanel Cruz Jarrett and Pa’a Taotao Tano’.

“We are honored that our team accepted the awards on behalf of Guam at BITF,” said GVB General Manager Nathan Denight. “Korea is our second largest visitor market and the efforts to offer more flights and incentives to visit our island are paying off. People genuinely want to know more about Guam. August 2015 turned out to be the largest arrival month from Korea in our tourism history with close to 43,000 visitors choosing to fly to our island and find out about the great experiences that can be found only on Guam. As we continue to grow and diversify all of our markets, I just want to thank our industry partners, visitors and the island community for supporting the work being done to make Guam the best place to live, work and visit!”

The Guam delegation also hosted a Guam product update roadshow and workshop in the cities of Daegu and Busan to showcase the island’s Chamorro culture and promote various signature events and activities to nearly 250 Korean travel agents and trade media. Outrigger Guam Beach Resort, Hyatt Regency Guam, LeoPalace Resort Guam, Onward Beach Resort Guam, Royal Orchid Guam, T Galleria by DFS, Baldyga Group, Hard Rock Café Guam, UnderWater World Guam and Guam Nissan Rent-a-car also conducted presentations on their respective properties and on Guam. Additionally, the Guam delegation paid courtesy visits to Korean Air and Air Busan officials.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer