IAAPS Web Site

Micronesian island destinations such as Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and Palau have become popular vacation spots for international visitors from Asian metropolitan areas. Guam, with over one million visitors per year, has relied particularly on Japanese visitors from international gateways in Japan. However, major changes affecting the demography of Guam are appearing on the horizon. Thousands of U.S. Marines and their dependents will soon be relocating from Okinawa, Japan, to Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States. The military build-up on Guam, which will, over one short period of time, increase the island's population of 175,000 by approximately 50 percent, will have the greatest impact. This will most likely affect the tourism industry in areas such as labor, environmental degradation, accessibility to attractions due to military exercises, new market development, and visitor visa restrictions. The impending impact of these factors on Guam's small island economy underlines the importance of proactively taking appropriate steps within the tourism industry and the community at large to prepare for the future. This paper will review potential impacts of the military buildup by examining base relocation data from military and civilian sources, and present recommendations on how Guam's tourism industry stakeholders can minimize negative impacts.