MegaFAM tour connects global travel partners with Guam businesses

The Guam Visitors Bureau said the goal of the five-day Mega Familiarization Program is to build awareness, strengthen travel trade partnerships, generate media coverage and ultimately drive visitation.

On Friday, the bureau held its tabletop marketplace at LeoPalace Resort Guam, bringing a flurry of business-to-business interactions among more than 200 travel trade professionals, media representatives and digital influencers from key visitor source markets and 40 local businesses.

"225 international key travel partners, media, and influencers here to our island to visit and explore, see for themselves all the wonderful experiences that we have to offer here on Guam. The hope is that they come here ... and they are able to not only tell and influence other folks to visit but also make some business-to-business connections," GVB president Regine Biscoe Lee said during the event.

She said the hope is that the interactions result a strong return on investment. GVB confirmed on Thursday that the bureau is paying for the airfare, hotel accommodations and other expenses for the 225 Mega FAM Tour participants, but the cost has not yet been finalized.

The bureau will track media and digital reach, including impressions, engagement and conversions following the tour. A post-event survey will also measure business leads, planned promotions, incentive programs, and other outcomes.

GVB estimates that if each participant influences five additional visitors to travel to Guam, the tour could generate roughly 1,000 additional visitors, $1.5 million in direct spending and $2 million in total economic impact.

For Hayden Mann, a sales associate with Micronesian Divers Association, the goal was clear.

"We're here to try to bring the tourism industry back to Guam and try to educate people about diving, snorkeling all the things to get them in the water," Mann said.

She said the event was garnering interest by participants looking to experience Guam's waters.

"So many people from all around the world are interested in Scuba diving and we live in one of the best places in the whole world to scuba dive, so people from Taiwan and Japan ... everyone from today has been super open in wanting to get in the water and see all the cool dive sites Guam does has to offer," Mann said.

MDA said that it is offering free dive tours for visiting travel professionals and social media influencers participating in the Mega FAM tour so that they can return home and share the experience.

Franceska de Oro, Extension Assistant II and Circular Economy Education Assistant at the Guam Green Growth (G3) Circular Economy Makerspace and Innovation Hub, said MegaFAM Tour participants are looking for "meaningful experiences."

"We heard from the tour agents here that they are really looking for something meaningful. They want to contribute to the island, not to just come here enjoy and go home. So, we are hoping to attract more of our visitors to the Guam Green Growth message to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals and learn about how everyone can take part in this sustainable future," de Oro said.

Watch interviews with GVB as well as representatives from the Micronesian Divers Association and Guam Green Growth on Guam News Network's Facebook and Instagram platforms.