Guam'svisitor industry had a banner year in 2012 with more than 1.3 million touristsvisiting the island, according to the Guam Visitors Board.
Tourism officials said that is nearly a 13 percent increaseover the previous year.
The Pacific Daily News (http://is.gd/zaK84E) said Gov. Eddie Calvo gave his thanks while speaking Monday at the GuamVisitors Bureau general membership meeting at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort.The governor thanked the tourism industry's managers, workers and businessstakeholders for working together to achieve such a stellar year for theisland's visitor industry.
"You are the lifeblood of Guam's economy," Calvosaid.
The governor's office said the last time Guam saw numbersthat high was before the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s.
The governor encouraged tourism industry stakeholders tocontinue working toward an even better year in the future. He said Guam's nextgoal is to welcome 1.5 million tourists. A five-year strategic plan that wasprepared in 2007 set a goal of 1.53 million tourists by 2011, but that was notachieved.
The industry acknowledged that the upturn in visitors bringswith it new challenges. For example, some hotels have had to turn guests away.
Calvo said he looks forward to the opening later this yearof the upscale Dusit Thani Guam hotel. One or two hotels that have been dormantalso are being renovated, he said.
One of the bureau's newly elected board members, OscarMiyashita, said though even though "things are really lookingbright," other challenges lie ahead.
"We've got to do a lot more to ensure that our visitorshave a good experience," he said.
Miyashita said that includes making sure visitors are safeon their vacations to Guam.
Miyashita, a CPA and senior adviser for Ernst and Young, andthree other Guam Visitors Bureau members were elected by voice vote Monday tofour open board seats.