by Clynt Ridgell, KUAM News Friday, March 02, 2007 Subscribe to Clynt's newsfeed   E-mail this article Printable version KUAM Toolbar Web Widgets Get RSS headlines

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The Guam Visitor's Bureau has been working on its five-year strategic marketing plan for a number of months now. GVB general manager Gerry Perez said of the ambitious strategy, "It's the end product of the community's sentiment on what we need to be doing to improve Guam and what we need to be doing to improve marketing and how we need to do it." Perez says this information was gathered through input from the community, but more importantly, through surveys from customers.

The plan lays out several initiatives that would improve the quality of life on Guam and thus making the island a more desirable destination. The ultimate goal is a 25-30% increase of tourist arrivals, to be accomplished through several initiatives, with the prime objective to Perez and the others at GVB being the (re)development of the Guam brand. "I will tell you right now that we have a confused brand," he said. "Pull up our web site, for example. In Taiwan, it's different from the one we have here on Guam. It's different from Japan. It's different from Hong Kong. Why is that? Guam should be Guam to everyone."

Perez says that Guam will have to figure out as a community how it should be perceived by the world, and then establish that reputation as our brand and image. To do this, he says Guam will have develop other types of tourist attractions outside of the typical attractions found on the popular Hotel Row. One company in Tumon is already starting to do this.

Roxanne Benavente is one of the owners of Isla Horse Ranch and Garden, a new business located across the Hotel Okura that offers a beautiful garden petting zoo and horse rides. Benavente says that this botanical garden was an idea that's been in the works for a few years, telling KUAM News, "We just thought it was good for the island good for the people great for Tumon. It's just that Tumon just seems so commercial and this is a piece of Guam and piece of nature right here in Tumon"

Isla Garden is open seven days a week from 1 in the afternoon until 6:30 in the evening. Although the grand opening is planned for sometime in March the garden is already open for business. "It's a botanical garden with horseback riding for kids and adults locals and Japanese visitors," Benavente continued. "We have petting zoos turtles and birds and goats." Right now the petting zoo has a miniature horse, bunnies and goats, but Benavente plans on bringing in miniature sheep and even miniature cows.

Hopefully, Benavente's business, and others like it, will begin to shape GVB's vision for a new and improved Guam in the eyes of our valued tourists.

Review GVB's 5-year strategic marketing plan