HAGATNA, 18 FEBRUARY 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES)—The island destination cannot market itself from behind the desk, the Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) said in a bid to justify its off-island travels, which a senator seeks to scrutinise.
“Tourism is not passive. It is competitive. If Guam is not in the room, Guam is
not in the itinerary,” GVB said in response to Sen Jesse Lujan’s Bill 279-38, requiring prior board approvals for the bureau’s trips abroad.
“It is a common sense reform that puts accountability and transparency where it belongs, at the board level,” Lujan said.
He said the measure was prompted by conversations with the board’s chairman and members during a January meeting.
“Several GVB board members have raised concerns that the issue is less about travel itself and more about process, visibility and governance,” said the chair of the tourism committee.
“They’ve shared frustration that, while they want to see GVB succeed and actively support efforts to rebuild tourism, the board’s ability to provide meaningful oversight can feel limited when key initiatives, including travel, appear to move forward without prior board-level discussion,” Lujan said.
In some instances, he added, board members learned about major activities through press releases or public announcements, rather than through regular board meetings and briefing materials.
This situation, Lujan said, “creates a perception that the board is being asked to ‘own’ outcomes without having a consistent opportunity to review the underlying decisions in advance.”
The Office of Public Accountability’s July 2025 report showed that GVB’s travel expenses went up from US$510,444 in 2023 to US$594,706 in 2024.
“I have spoken with at least two former GVB general managers and CEOs who noted that board approval for travel was historically part of standard governance and internal controls,” Lujan said.
“At some point, that guardrail was removed and the perception among board members and, frankly, among stakeholders and the general public is that restoring it is a reasonable step to reinforce accountability and rebuild trust,” he added.
GVB, however, argued that the board is responsible for policy, governance and oversight, while operational execution, such as trade engagement, “has historically been structured to preserve both accountability and independence while avoiding unnecessary conflicts.”
GVB said its purpose is to compete for visitors in a global marketplace, which requires presence.
“Events such as IMEX America are not ceremonial gatherings,” GVB said, adding that Guam has been part of this event since 2015.
“They are structured, pre-scheduled, business-to-business marketplaces where destinations meet the decision-makers who control corporate meetings, incentive programmes, conventions and high-value group travel,” GVB said.
IMEX brings together more than 6,000 qualified buyers and over 16,000 industry professionals from over 70 countries in one place and Guam has regularly participated since 2015.
“It is one of the few global forums where Guam can meet, in a single week, planners and travel executives from Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, Malaysia, and North America— now Guam’s third-largest source market by visitor volume,” GVB added.
“Those meetings are not casual. They are contracted appointments tied to measurable outcomes: room blocks, group bookings, incentive travel, charter discussions and airline coordination,” the bureau said.
The agency said its global marketing has placed Guam on “ultra-luxury” private-jet itineraries offered by operators such as Abercrombie & Kent and TCS World Travel, with per-guest package values ranging from US$136,000 to US$250,000.
“At the same time, sustained engagement in the MICE and group segments has secured extended-stay bookings, including recent military and corporate groups that have reserved 30 rooms each for approximately one month,” GVB said.
“That is not symbolic traffic. That is payroll support for hotel workers, drivers, servers, entertainers, suppliers, and small businesses across Guam,” it added.
At the legislature, Lujan said his bill is not intended to block mission-driven travel; rather, it is to ensure travel funded by public dollars is aligned with strategy, discussed transparently and approved through the appropriate governing body.
The bill, he said, is intended as “a clear, practical step to strengthen governance and oversight.”
“If travel is truly necessary to support Guam’s tourism recovery, it should be justified, documented and approved,” Lujan said. “This is one step in what will be a broader series of reforms anticipated at the Guam Visitors Bureau.”
He added that the measure’s goal is to ensure GVB is “mission-focused, results-driven, and operating with the transparency the public expects. Public funds must be used responsibly and in the best interest of Guam’s people.” …PACNEWS