Continental organizes Guam tourism forum in Tokyo

Continental Airlines held a Guam Travel Forum in Tokyo on June 24. The forum, which was co-sponsored by Travel Journal Inc., the leading travel-industry publishing house in Japan, attracted more than 100 attendees from within the industry.

The forum aimed to spur some serious, yet fun discussions from new perspectives on how to increase the number of Japanese travelers to Guam.

Continental organized the forum in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of its service connecting Tokyo and Guam, with a clear objective of further increasing travel demand for the island. Discussions showcased Guam’s attractions for Japanese travelers (such as its close proximity, no time difference, and an established travel infrastructure favorable toward the Japanese traveler). The forum revolved around marketing and promotional tactics of how best to position Guam in the Japanese market to further facilitate greater travel demand.

The discussion closed with hints and suggestions about the many attractions the island can offer, including the beauty and tranquility of nature; local and American culture; and a host of other unique features, as presented by a number of panelists from throughout Japan. The panelists included actress Noriko Aota; editorial director Jiro Ishikawa; Yoko Kawashima from the fashion intelligence group Itochu Fashion Systems, Co., Ltd.; Seiichi Hara from Guam Visitor’s Bureau; Hiromi Makihara, a former professional baseball player with the Yomiuri Giants; and travel writer Manoue Yamashita.

Continental Micronesia President and Chief Executive Officer Mark A. Erwin said, “The forum is an excellent example of how Continental has been active in promoting Guam in Japan over the past 20 years. I firmly believe that such efforts have encouraged and will continue to encourage Guam’s travel industry.” Continental employs a team of sales and marketing professionals throughout Japan that aggressively markets Guam as a premiere vacation destination.

Continental Airlines is the world’s sixth-largest airline with more than 2,800 daily departures throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental serves 149 domestic and 117 international destinations – more than any other airline in the world – and nearly 200 additional points are served via codeshare partner airlines. With 41,000 mainline employees, the airline has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 51 million passengers per year. FORTUNE ranks Continental one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America, an honor it has earned for six consecutive years. FORTUNE also ranks Continental as the top airline in its Most Admired Global Companies in 2004. For more company information, visit continental.com.

Continental Micronesia is headquartered in Guam and operates a Pacific hub from the A.B. Won Pat Guam International Airport. A wholly owned subsidiary of Continental Airlines, Continental Micronesia offers more than 290 departures each week between 22 cities throughout the Pacific Rim, the Micronesian Islands and Hawaii with a fleet of 13 next-generation Boeing 737 narrowbody and 767 widebody aircraft.