On February 6th, the Guam Visitors Bureau paid a courtesy visit to the Mayor of Nagano, Kenji Ogiwara. The visit came after a recent meeting with the U.S. Embassy in Japan where talks of rebuilding ties between Guam and Japan were discussed and plans to revitalize sister-city relationships were prioritized.
Leading the delegate from Guam was GVB President & CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez, GVB Senior Marketing Manager – Japan Regina Nedlic, and GVB Marketing Manager – Japan Mai Mimura Perez. They were joined by GVB Japan Executive Director Yusuke Akiba, GVB Account Director Nobuyoshi Shoji, and GVB Japan Trade Director Masato Wakasugi.
At the visit to Nagano, the GVB team was greeted by Mayor Ogiwara with appreciation and acknowledgment of Guam as an important ally and friend in the region. GVB’s President Gutierrez discussed their efforts to build friendship city relationships and revive travels of Japanese consumers back to Guam since the pandemic. Gutierrez also expressed their intentions to bring back school trips, cultural exchanges, and homestay programs.
Mayor Ogiwara in turn shared the many attractions, highlights, and tourism locations in Nagano, which has become a popular destination since hosting the 18th Winter Olympics and the 7th Winter Paralympics in 1998. As a former Olympic Gold Medalist himself (in the 1992 Albertville Olympic Winter Games and 1994 Lillehammer Olympic Winter Games as a Nordic Ski champion), Mayor Ogiwara confirms that Nagano is considered a premier international winter destination.
“Guam has built relationships with multiple cities in Japan, including Kashiwa, Karatsu, Niigata, and Okayama. Inviting such a world-renowned location as Nagano to become a sister city with us would open up many doors for our people as well as our tourism industry,” said President & CEO Carl Gutierrez, who personally invited the Mayor and his council members to visit Guam.
In addition to their visit to Nagano, GVB attended the Kaiju Kelaguen event on February 6 – 12 at the Tokyu Plaza in Shibuya. The event is the first of its kind for Guam, showcasing our local artists, brands, and products in Japan. The brainchild of Tsunogai, a Japanese Manga artist with a deep-rooted love for Guam, Kaiju Kelaguen was created as a joint venture with island artists and creators to showcase and promote Guam’s pop culture.
Tsunogai partnered with Guam talent Joshua Barrigada, Geremy Grey, and brands such as LongLive, Opake, and Good Lookin’ Out, to name a few. Guam band Fat Tofu performed at Kaiju Kelaguen, bringing a musical component to complete the event. GVB is a proud sponsor of this unique event, helping our local artists and small businesses to expand internationally. The success of this event could pave the way to more exclusive Guam-branded events, leading to increased travel and tourism.
“One of the benefits of our GVB membership is the support and partnership we offer, especially to small businesses that satisfy our mission to promote the Guam brand, strengthen international ties, and grow tourism opportunities for the island,” Gutierrez said.
While in Tokyo, the Guam delegation was also able to meet with the Japan Airlines sales team and GVB Japan team to secure upcoming programs. Meanwhile, GVB’s trade team in Japan conducted a seminar in Sendai with United Airlines for more than 50 travel agents, further extending GVB’s reach within the Japanese market.
