GVB still waiting on Public Health's approval for vaccination destination program

The governor's new executive order further easing travel protocols
helps pave the way for the Guam Visitors Bureau's plan to market Guam as a "vaccination destination" for American ex-pats living in nearby Asia.

Bureau Vice President Gerry Perez said they're ready to roll out a series of packages, but they're still waiting for public health approval.

"Because the last thing we wanna do is roll out a program and if public health changes the protocol in mid-stream as sometimes happens based on circumstances, it would totally nullify the package that we put together," he said. 

The new EO adds Astrazeneca to the list of vaccines that are acceptable to avoid quarantine for inbound travelers. It also happens to be the most common vaccine currently used for Korean citizens.

"What we need to pin down now, and we're working it as we speak, is if they get Astrazeneca when they come to Guam they will go through a certain protocol process that will be reciprocal on return so that when they go back to Korea they won't have to go through an onerous process," Perez said. 

The immediate prospects for Guam's other main market, Japan, are not as promising. Perez said current policy still requires a two-week quarantine period for returning residents, which remains a big obstacle for outbound tourism.