by John Davis, KUAM NewsWednesday, May 21, 2008 Subscribe to John's newsfeed
The Guam Tourism Foundation, with the help of Charles Johnson and Associates, recently conducted a study on ways to develop a new moneymaking entity for the island's tourism market. The proposed idea for this is the development of a local convention center. Richard Rennie, chairman of the GTF, told KUAM News, "We as a community we don't have anywhere to go for cultural affairs, we don't have anywhere to go for large concerts. When was the last time we had a major concert on Guam?"Because the tourism industry is seasonal Rennie says a convention center will help bring in a more steady cash flow to the island. In fact, the results of the study based on a $35 million dollar convention center estimate the generation of $21.8 million in direct/indirect and induced spending, $1.5 million in fiscal benefits, and 409 new jobs in the first year of operation alone. The proposed site for this center is the space in and around the Guam Greyhound Park in Tamuning.