A surge of South Korean tourists may help Guam deal with a slump in arrivals from Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.Korean Air has added extra flights to Guam after incentive campaigns in the country caused an increase in bookings, according to a Guam Visitors Bureau press release issued yesterday. The extra flights will bring an additional 10,563 visitors to the island in July and August.

This is great news for the Korea market, particularly since we experienced significant cancellations there following the tragedy in Japan on March 11,GVB General Manager Joann Camacho said in the press release.Guam’s tourism industry has taken a hit from the ongoing financial and humanitarian disaster caused by the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Arrivals from Japan are expected to be down this summer by more than 20 percent, according to GVB estimates. By the end of May, arrivals from Japan are projected to have dropped 27 percent, with June and July potentially decreasing by 24 and 21 percent, respectively, according to numbers provided by GVB.

The Korean Air flights may help make up some of the difference. From July 4 to Aug. 31, four extra flights per week, each seating 280 passengers, have been scheduled from Incheon, South Korea, to Guam. Korean Air will also add two flights per week, each seating 149 passengers, from Busan from July 27 to Aug. 17.In a release, Camacho emphasized GVB’s message that Guam is safe for tourists. Since March 11, cancellations from Korea have hovered around 20 to 25 percent, according to GVB.We have continued to push the message that Guam remains free from radiation, and it seems that Korean travelers are finally starting to heed that,Camacho said.We look forward to these extra flights in the coming months and the boost it will give our local visitor industry.

In March, federal radiation monitors briefly detected low levels of radiation on island. Results posted in early April, the latest available, didn’t detect any radiation.According to GVB, South Korean travel agencies using a Clean and Safe” campaign spearheaded by GVB in South Korea booked the majority of additional seats.