(Tumon, Guam) The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB), in partnership with Customs and Quarantine Agency (CQA), held a press conference to introduce the NEW Customs Declaration Form and discuss the phasing in period.

One of the major changes made to the form is that it has significantly reduced in size. “In changing the size, travelers receive what they have come to expect and we have, in a small way, gone green by using less paper resources and, furthermore, storage requires less space than it once did,” said James T. McDonald, CQA Director.

“The data that is collected from these forms is very important to our tourism industry. It is used in surveys and reports that help us understand what our visitors experience, look for in Guam as a destination and the reasons for them to keep coming back,” said GVB President and CEO Nathan Denight. “These customs forms produce a wealth of information that helps our tourism industry make better choices to constantly improve the Guam product and showcase our unique 4,000-year-old culture and Håfa Adai spirit.”

The new form rollout period will last through November 17th, which is the final day Customs will accept any of the older declaration forms.

“The redesign of the new form is more visitor-friendly, convenient and the questions have been streamlined to reduce the margin of error,” said GVB Acting Director of Tourism Research Nico Fujikawa. “We are working with major airlines to distribute copies of the new form, as well as travel agents which will commence today.”

This product is a result of years of discussions and a positive working relationship between the Guam Visitors Bureau and the Customs and Quarantine Agency. Both agencies will continue to collaborate ensuring the tourism industry continues to thrive.

“We thank Governor Calvo, Lt. Governor Tenorio and the Guam Legislature for their support of the new customs declaration forms,” added McDonald and Denight. “We also applaud Ana Cid and the GVB Research Department, as well as the Customs team for their hard work.”

GVB’s Research Department will extend any assistance to industry partners during the phase-in period of the forms and those who may have any questions may contact GVB at 671-646-5278.

Media Contact: JOSH TYQUIENGCO - Public Information Officer