The Guam Visitors Bureau officials contend there's several factors beyond their control that contributed to the low visitor arrivals seen in the Korean market for June 2026 meanwhile the data shows Guam is nearly 86.4% down from 2019 Korean arrivals numbers for the same period.

GVB explained there are several external factors that affect outbound travel from Korea including jet fuel surcharges and the exchange rate.

"While fuel surcharges remain above the levels seen in March, we are seeing a continued easing in jet fuel surcharges for travel departing Korea," GVB said.

In May, surcharges peaked at Level 33 or $341 but later decreased to Level 14 or $140 in August. GVB tied this to developments in the Middle East, contending that it could place "upward" pressure on surcharges. GVB projects a possible increase to Level 20 in September.

"At the same time, the decline seen in recent months is a positive development for travelers. The exchange rate has also been an important factor affecting travel costs for Korean consumers amid continued geopolitical and economic uncertainty. Recent movement, however, indicates some stabilization," GVB said.

GVB also tied the exchange rate to increased travel costs as the Korean won remains a pressure point. Though the bureau was optimistic that relief may be ahead.

"After reaching approximately ₩1,528 per USD in July 2026, the exchange rate has eased to approximately ₩1,430 in August, moving closer to levels seen late last year," GVB said adding "continued stabilization of the Korean Won could provide some relief to outbound travelers and support travel demand from Korea in the coming months."

A report presented to GVB's Board on Aug. 18 points to a disconnect between significantly reduced Korean demand, reduced seat supply, weaker load factors and the continued importance of Korea as a main source market for Guam tourism.

From January to July 2026, Korea accounted for 37.1% of tourist arrivals, though the number represents a drop from 193,527 to 133,879 year-over-year.

For Fiscal 2026 to date, although Korean represents an even larger market share at 43.3%, those numbers are still down from 278,326 to 255,593 year-over-year.

June and July 2026 numbers show how severe the Korean downturn has become with arrivals in June dropping from 27,148 to 8,495, a 68.7% decline.

Though Korean remains Guam's top source market, monthly figures show it is no longer delivering the volume it did in 2025, let alone in 2019 which reported 62,413 Korean arrivals in June and 67,866 in July.

GVB attributed the decline in part to Super Typhoon Bavi.

July 2026 numbers rebounded slightly to 15,707 an increase of roughly 85% from June. However, the figure remains a decrease from the 35,103 Korean arrivals recorded in July 2025.

The report also shows that the decline in Korean tourist arrivals is happening alongside a reduction in air capacity.

Total airline seat supply from Korea to Guam 639,000 in 2025. For 2026, GVB projects a reduction to 484,000 seats, which represents a 24% decline year-over-year.

The issue however isn't just about how many seats are available from Korea to Guam, the report points toward flight times offered as being a factor in lower visitor arrivals.

Day-flight capacity dropped from 307,000 to 115,000, while night-flight supply increased from 331,000 to 368,000. This represents a shift from 52% to 76% for night flight capacity.

Meanwhile filled seats related to the shifts show that day-flight load factors deteriorated from 86% to 77% year-over-year, night-flights filled seats also dropped from 73% to 61%.

July, however, was considerably better than June with arrivals increasing roughly 85% month to month. The data however shows the market has not returned to anything close to 2025 or 2019 levels.

In the coming months, Korea air capacity remains substantial with 46,23 seats in August, 41,567 seats in September and 46,320 seats in October.

That creates another challenge for GVB - converting that capacity into bookings and arrivals.

GVB's strategy will tap into B2B airline promotion, "to increase airline load factors by driving sales through B2B promotions," the report said.

The effort targets travel agencies with committed seat blocks and using travel-agency websites, banner placements, SNS, KakaoTalk, Airline co-branding, discounts and travel benefits.

"To drive Korean visitor arrivals to Guam by targeting potential travelers during the late-summer vacation season and the Chuseok Golden Holiday period offering exclusive travel benefits designed to stimulate demand and encourage bookings," the report states.

Incentives include Mode Tour - KRW 50,000 discount, YB Tour- KRW 100,00 instant savings and KRW 30,000 coupon, 50% off child fares, NOL Universe - airfare, hotel and activity discounts, and Tide Square coupons including partner-card and Naver Pay discounts.

The marketing response is a shift toward direct conversion as compared to destination awareness.