The Guam Visitors Bureau had a recent mission at the 28th Pacific Islander Festival in San Diego
The annual event included 300,000 Pacific Islanders that came together to connect about the values and cultures of the indigenous people of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
The event was from September 24-25 and had 123 vendors. Guam, the CNMI, and FSM, to name a few were represented.
In an interview with PNC, Mark Manglona–North America and Pacific Marketing Manager for GVB, discusses the importance of creating a relationship with North America.
Manglona said, “One of GVB’s key markets aside from South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines is North America. And in North America, the VFR, or the Visiting Friends and Relatives market is also a target market segment that is very important to us. According to a 2010 Census, there is over 140,000 CHamorus living in the US, and most of them live in California. So our goal is to attract these Guamanians, CHamorus that live abroad and give them a reason to want to visit Guam.”
Also in attendance at the PIFA were The Sons & Daughters of Guam, Chelu, and the House of Chamorros.
In which Manglona said, “Their main functions are to help spread and continue the education in the Mainland”
If you would like to learn more you can visit GVB’s website at guamvisitorsbureau.com
Reach reporter Jannette Samson: jannette@spbguam.com
