The new coconut tree park features 300 coconut trees from seedlings collected from around the Pacific and Asia region.

The weekend kickoff will feature activities, games, food and drink vendors and displays.

The Agana Heights Mayor’s Office is calling out to the public to compete with their coconut and coconut crab at the unveiling of the new park.

If your coconut or coconut crab is larger than the mayor’s office’s, you’ll be eligible to win a cash prize of $250. Call the Agana Heights Mayor’s Office at 472-8285/6 for more information.

Last February the tropical island had only 11 tourists from Russia, but last month — the first full month since the Department of Homeland Security eased visa requirements — the island received 135 tourists from Russia.

Governor

“We’re pleased to see a major increase in visitor arrivals from Russia thanks to visa waiver,” Governor Eddie Calvo said in a press release. “While the numbers in terms of volume are not that large, the Russian visitors stay longer and spend more, which really boosts our local economy, creating new jobs and opportunities for our people. We’ll continue to develop this new market while we continue to push for China visa waiver.”

Previously, tourists from Russia were required to navigate a lengthy visa process before they could travel to our tropical island, but parole authority makes it simple for them to visit. Guam also has pursued a full visa waiver for China, which is a market that could jump-start the stagnant tourism industry.

Ambassador

As the number of Russian tourists in Guam grows, so does the buzz online. U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul mentioned the tropical island as a destination for Russian tourists during a blog post, according to the GVB press release. McFaul currently is at a travel and tourism fair in Moscow.

The regional airline yesterday announced plans to operate charter flights every five days, for a total of 13 round-trip charters, beginning May 25, according to a press release.

The expanded schedule is in addition to the current twice-weekly flights to Taipei. Using an Air Bus 330 with a capacity of 252 seats, these charters represent an additional 3,726 seats available from Taipei from May to October, the release stated.

“We are encouraged by the strong performance by EVA Air. Since inception of services in June 2011 with twice-weekly service from Taipei, it appears Guam has become an increasingly inviting destination for Taiwanese travelers,” said Chuck Ada, Guam International Airport Authority executive manager.

Tourists on Guam

“Under the Guam CNMI Visa Waiver Program, Taiwan passport holders can enter Guam and stay as long as 45 days without a visa.”

While Japan still represents Guam’s largest tourism market, Guam Visitors Bureau has noted that other tourism markets, including South Korea and Taipei, are stable.

Japan remains Guam’s largest visitor market and makes up about 75 percent of Guam’s visitors.

Increases to Tourist Arrivals

According to GVB February figures, Guam’s total visitor arrivals was about 112,000. That’s an increase of 1.2 percent from the same time period last year. Nearly 85,000 of those visitors were from Japan — showing a 2.2 percent increase. By contrast, there were 3,816 visitors from Taiwan, but that figure shows a 10.1 percent increase over the same time frame last year, when the island attracted 3,466 visitors from Taiwan.

Ada said the visa waiver “has certainly contributed to EVA Air’s plans to operate multiple charters to Guam.”

“We hope this translates to regularly scheduled service in the future,” he continued.

Other flight routes

EVA Air also operated six charters from Taipei in January and February and 12 charters from Tokyo in March, utilizing A330-200 series aircraft with a seating capacity of 252 seats, the release states.

The only other destinations serviced by EVA Air Hello Kitty jets are Sapporo, Seoul, Fukuoka, Tokyo and Hong Kong, the release states.

Residents may have seen EVA Air flights as they land at the local airport — the airline’s planes, called Hello Kitty jets have the distinctive cartoon emblem on their exteriors.

Perry Tenorio, chief of the Marianas Visitors Authority, based in Saipan, serves as vice president, while Annmarie Muna serves as secretary/treasurer.

The association is a nonprofit, non-stock membership organization formed to develop a sustainable emerging visitor market segment and cultivate incremental economic activity by attracting cruise ships throughout the Micronesian region, according to the association.

Part of the association’s goal is to gather more information in the coming months from the different tropical islands to identify the “gaps” in the region’s destination development requirements and to share the findings with the Micronesia chief executives for follow-up action.

“The Micronesian Cruise Association will provide its members a forum for discussion on tourism development, port infrastructure, tour operations, safety, security, immigration, legislation, environmental protection and other cruise industry issues,” Perez said.

Guam and the other tropical islands of Micronesia receive more than 1.4 million visitors a year, nearly all of them arriving by air.

The cruise vessel arrived at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to depart at 5 p.m. today.

The ship has 593 passengers and 389 crew members on board. The vessel began its journey on Feb. 27 from Sydney, Australia and sailed to Cairns, Australia and then here to Guam. After leaving tonight, the cruise ship will head to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore, according to the release.

The Pacific Princess was met on the docks this morning by the cultural dance group Irensian Tao Tao Tano. The dancers will board the vessel again this afternoon to perform on the ship for the passengers prior to their departure out of Apra Harbor, stated the release.

Ships under the Princess Cruise lines are recurring visitors to the tropical island of Guam.

Guam has seen the cruise ship industry start small, with 1,749 visitors in 2005. Three years later, that number more than doubled.

Last year, the number of visitors brought in by several cruise ships to the tropical island of Guam exceeded 11,000 – increasing to about six times the total in 2005, according to Port Authority data.

Several more cruise ships are expected to visit Guam in the coming months, according to the Port Authority.

Cruise ships already visit various tropical islands in the region on an ad hoc basis with Cunard, Princess, Hapag-Lloyd and Japanese lines making around six visits annually. Guam, with its US military grade infrastructure hosted over 4,000 pax and crew from QM2 in 2012 but is realistically more suited to Sun, Sea and Pacific Princesses scheduled to arrive this year.

“The challenges for us are that we are in the early stage of development, and there is limited local cruise know how at this time,” said Gerry Perez, a Guamanian on the current PATA board, “We must work together to streamline any current entry barriers, and build incentives for more frequent visits from cruise ships.” One step forward is the introduction of the Star Alliance Micronesia Airpass, spearheaded by the now dominant airline in the region, United, which absorbed the previous Continental routes in the much talked about merger this week. United Airlines flies weekly to Guam from Cairns year-round, and extends the service to bi-weekly in peak periods, with regular connections to the smaller tropical islands.

While the move to attract more frequent visits by the big lines may be years away at this time, Micronesia is perfectly poised to accept low impact visits by vessels from the world’s growing fleet of adventure and expedition vessels. Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet of luxury expedition vessels are regular guests and in November this year, our own Orion Expeditions will conduct their first Micronesian odyssey, beginning in Rabaul and wrapping up in Guam. Prior to this, the now defunct US small ship line, Cruise West, regularly visited Micronesia on their popular Pacific voyages.

To date, much of the tourism throughout Micronesia has hinged on their renowned diving locations and WWII historic sites like Peleiu. The tiny city of Koror comes alive  daily with its buzzing fleet of dive boats heading out in all directions to any of the scores of mapped locations within easy reach. One of the premier operators, Fish ‘n’ Fins, even offers a superb liveaboard option with itineraries of a week or more on their Australian-built vessel, the 16-passenger Ocean Hunter III. Catering mainly to divers, the trip also includes cultural visits, land tours, hiking and kayaking. Warship wrecks, manta rays, sharks and vivid coral arrays feature prominently for keen divers of all levels.

The visitors bureau had $7 million in cash on hand at the end of fiscal 2011, up from $6 million from the previous year.

The visitors bureau received $12 million from the Tourist Attraction Fund, which is where hotel room tax collections are deposited.

The local government collects 11 percent of the cost of a hotel room per day.

Guam’s average hotel room rate went up 4 percent last fiscal year to $114, helping to keep hotel room tax collections strong despite a decline in the number of visitors from Japan.

Total hotel tax collections in fiscal 2011 were up 6 percent compared to the previous budget year, allowing the visitors bureau to fully fund its $13.2 million budget, according to a management discussion part of the report.

Guam experienced an overall 2 percent decline in tourist numbers at the end of fiscal 2011 in September, and the size of the decline, despite double-digit decreases from disaster-devastated Japan, was in part due to the surge in tourist numbers from other markets, according to the report.

South Korean arrivals increased 20 percent, Taiwanese visitor arrivals increased 38 percent, and Hong Kong arrivals increased 51 percent. Guam’s mainland China visitor numbers increased 32 percent, according to the management discussion in the report.

GVB’s largest expense remains marketing in Japan — Guam’s largest visitor market. The visitors bureau spent $7.2 million in marketing in Japan last fiscal year, or more than half its total budget. Its most recent fiscal year spending on marketing reflects a decrease from almost $8 million the previous year.

While total arrivals from Japan dropped 7 percent to 823,645, the Japanese tourists’ average spending during their Guam visits increased from $499 to $558. The total spending of Japanese visitors on the island reached $805 million, 3.7 percent higher than the previous fiscal year, according to the visitors bureau.

The goal for 2012 is to recover Guam’s lost market share of Japan overseas travelers. Guam had a 5.4 percent share of all vacation travelers out of Japan in fiscal 2010, and that number went down to 4.9 percent in fiscal 2011.

The U.S. dollar fell to record lows against the yen, on average 76 yen to a dollar during the audit year, which makes Guam an extremely affordable destination for Japanese travelers, according to the Guam Visitors Bureau.

Without any catastrophic events occurring this fiscal year, the Guam Visitors Bureau projects an 8 to 10 percent increase in visitors, and a 4.9 percent increase in the Tourist Attraction Fund to $24 million, according to the visitors bureau.

The event was sponsored by the Guam Department of Education Chamorro Studies and Special Projects Division, which organizes annual events for Chamorro month, which is March. This year’s theme is “Gosa yan Guaiya I guinahan I Taotao-ta … I chamoru-ta” — “Love and Appreciate Our Livelihood … We the Chamorro People.”

The yard outside the church bustled with people placing fiesta food onto tables as Guam DOE personnel welcomed parents and family members into the church.

“We always have a Mass to celebrate by prayer. Each school is represented by woven sashes made of coconut leaves. The schools will carry a donation of canned goods as an offering to the priest (and) church,” said Ronald T. Laguana, Chamorro Studies Division administrator.

First-year Guam DOE Chamorro teacher Severina Atalig, a retired Northern Marianas College campus administrator, was excited the community came out to support the agency’s Chamorro month festivities.

“This is the most exciting thing in my life — teaching Chamorro. I encourage parents to teach their children so we can uphold our culture and language,” Atalig said.

Atalig stressed the importance of perpetuating the language and holding on to Chamorro values. She pointed to the Northern Mariana Islands, where many children grow up speaking Chamorro, as an example of how the Chamorro culture is passed down through the generations.

Within the church, a student choir from George Washington High School sang Chamorro songs. In the pews were family members of students from various schools who were participating in yesterday’s ceremony, including John F. Kennedy High School and Agueda Johnston Middle School.

Francesca C. Blanco, a veteran Chamorro teacher of 23 years, opened the ceremony yesterday at the podium. Afterward, she said focusing on the Chamorro culture one month out of the year helps the island “reflect on our past.”

“I want the community to come out. This is celebrated from the last week of February through March,” she said. “A lot of our parents are peskadot, skilled in culture, and we need their parental support.”

CHAMORRO MONTH EVENTS

Throughout the month of March, Guam Department of Education will be celebrating the Chamorro culture. A list of events follow:

•Governor’s proclamation: 5:30 p.m. Feb. 29 at the Chamorro Village.

•Legislative resolution presentation and poster contest award ceremony: 4 p.m. March 1 at the Guam Legislature.

•Poster display/Chamorro Food Tasting: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 3, Agana Shopping Center.

•Weaving competition: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 10, Agana Shopping Center.

•Chamorro Langauge Competition: 3 to 7 p.m. March 12; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 13 at University of Guam’s Humanities and Social Science Building.

•Hot and Spicy Chicken Competition: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 17 at Cost U Less in Tamuning.

•GVB Ko’Ko’ Kids Fun Run/Walk: 7 a.m. to noon, March 18 at Ypao Beach Park.

•Celebrity guest readers: March 19 to 23 at all public schools.

•Chamorro fashion show: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 24, Agana Shopping Center.

•Chamorro Month 5K Walk/Run Pa’a Taotao Tano’: March 31. Showtime is 5:15 a.m.; go time is 6 a.m. at Chamorro Village.

It’s refreshing to see the Guam Visitors Bureau working to transform our tropical island from a nearby U.S. destination with sand, surf and sun to an island with its own unique and rich history and culture. More businesses are realizing the opportunity and benefits of cultural tourism.

It’s also wonderful to see so many more groups that dance and chant and perform Chamorro arts, and to celebrate more special cultural events, such as the lunar calendar festival. More village celebrations, such as the Mango Festival and the Donne’ Festival, help highlight the culture, as does the Chamorro Language Competition, which continues to grow stronger every year.

The island has come a long way in a short time to improve and expand upon Chamorro culture offerings, but we still have more to do.

The biggest gap remains the Guam Museum. Our community needs a permanent place to share the history of the island and its rich culture, a centerpiece that serves multiple purposes, with learning exhibits, perhaps some classrooms, a fine arts theater and other amenities. We can make it a real community treasure by expanding its offerings beyond a “traditional” museum.

The money for the project already has been borrowed — about $27 million in funding waits to be used for the next stages of the project. There has been some talk recently of changing the planned site of the museum from the Fort Apugan area to Skinner Plaza or even Oka Point.

Vice Speaker Benjamin Cruz favors Skinner Plaza and Gov. Eddie Calvo said he likes the idea of the museum being built in the heart of Hagåtña, though the law for the new museum would have to be altered to make that happen.

The bottom line is Guam needs a new, multipurpose museum desperately, and has for years. We urge elected officials to press forward to make this long-awaited dream a reality as soon as possible.

Held at the vast Governor Joseph F. Flores Beach Park, which is better known as Ypao Beach Park, the public is invited to join in on the festivities, with the opening ceremony scheduled to begin at 3:00pm.  The closing ceremony will be held at 10:00pm.

“All entertainers are proud participants from all over Japan and attend their own free will to have great fun on our tropical island,” says Shuichi Kanamori, director of the 32nd Japan Autumn Festival executive committee.

“We want everybody to enjoy the night with peace and happiness with as many people as possible,” he says.

There will be entertainment, as well as many vendors selling goods and foods, he says.

Coupon booklets for the Japan Autumn Festival will be sold for $10, which contain ten coupons each.

Free parking is available at the open space across Oka Payless and free shuttle service from the parking lot to the Japan Autumn Festival will be provided at 10 minute intervals from 2:00pm to 10:15pm.

History of the Japan Autumn Festival on Guam

The Autumn Festival originated three decades ago as a way to introduce the customs and culture of Japan to Japanese children who grew up on the tropical island of Guam.  “The stage was handmade and the scale was also very small, but the children who participated in the event were very happy,” Kanamori says.

Over the years, the festival grew tremendously in size, thanks to the growing participants, as well as generous sponsors.

This year, the Japan Autumn Festival will be taking quite a different direction from other years.

“In most past events, the goal of the night was just pure enjoyment for the island residents,” says Kanamori.

“But this year’s goal is to sincerely thank all corporate businesses and individual island residents of Guam who eagerly assisted by generously donating their time and money for the people suffering in Japan due to the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami.”

He says the festival’s stage banner will read “Arigato Guam, Thank you Tomodachi” – translated to “Thank you Guam, Thank you Friends” – to show the club’s humble gratitude and appreciation.

Also, he says there will be 500 t-shirts for sale with a map of Guam and Japan displayed with the word “tomodachi” in between to show the closeness of the relationship between Guam and Japan.  All proceeds from the shirts will be donated to the ongoing relief efforts of the tsunami and earthquake disasters.

Nineteen-year-old Soo Yeong Yang says she enjoyed her experience at the Japanese Festival a couple years ago.

“I remember a bunch traditional dancers wearing kimonos and other traditional clothes and there were all kinds of Japanese food,” she says.

“It was very unique and I never knew how interesting the Japanese culture was,” she says.