(Tumon, Guam) Tourism celebrates 50 years on Guam and as the island’s primary industry, it provides thousands of jobs to local residents, over a billion dollars to the economy and over $150 million in revenue to the Government of Guam. To celebrate this milestone, the Guam Visitors Bureau is hosting a “Rediscover Guam Island Bus Tour”, providing local residents with an opportunity to experience and participate in Guam’s largest economic contributor and rediscover what makes Guam a great place to live, work and visit.

“The industry’s contribution to Guam’s economy and the overall way of life of our people cannot be overstated,” General Manager Karl Pangelinan said. “Sometimes we take for granted all the reasons why our island is a great place to live, work and visit. This tour is a key effort to reinvigorate the community by emphasizing these strengths and rediscovering why over 1.3 million visitors come to our island every year. As we celebrate our 50^th anniversary of tourism this year, GVB wanted to give back to the community for all their support in growing this dynamic industry.”

GVB scheduled three bus tours for July 6, 13 and 27 with the first two bus tours being fully reserved three days before the tour was to take place. With increased demand and the success experienced by the first two tours, GVB has scheduled two additional tours for residents to take advantage of on August 3^rd and 10^th.

Pangelinan added, “We have been getting great feedback and positive reviews about the Rediscover Guam Island Bus Tour. Within days of announcing the tour, the first tour became fully booked. The second tour had over 60 participants, so GVB acquired the use of a 15-passenger van to accommodate the overbooking. With so many people wanting to take advantage of this opportunity, we decided to schedule two additional tours for the first two weeks of August.”

To reserve a spot on the tour for August 3^rd or 10th, go to facebook.com/guamvisitorsbureau and click on the “Rediscover Guam” tab. Tours are free of charge and refreshments will be available however, lunch is not provided. Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch, as well as hats, sunglasses, and sunblock. Comfortable attire is recommended and participants are encouraged not to bring valuables.

GVB also invites participants to share their experience by taking a photo and uploading it to Instagram using the hashtag indicator #visitguamusa. Photos can be viewed on the Re-discover Guam tab on GVB’s facebook or by searching #visitguamusa in the Instagram photo app.

GVB thanks all the sponsors of the tour: Triple J Wholesale, Kloppenburg Enterprises, the National Park Service, Pacific Historic Parks – T. Stell Newman Visitor Center, Two Lover’s Point, the Guam Museum Foundation, Pacific War Museum, Jeff’s Pirates Cove, the Department of Parks & Recreation and territorial historian Toni “Malia” Ramirez for offering our guests a wealth of knowledge and background along the tour route.