PH a top visitor market for Guam, not affected by US tourism policies, says official

The Philippines is one of Guam’s top source markets for visitors, the Guam Visitors' Bureau (GVB) revealed on Tuesday,

At a press conference in Quezon City for the Travel Sale Expo 2025, GVB Sales Manager Philip Gejon said that the traffic for Philippine visitors in Guam is on the incline.

“We’re very happy. The Philippines is one of the top five source markets for Guam. We are about three and a half hours away from the Philippines, [and] we have daily flights from Manila via two airlines… We’re very happy about that,” he said.

He added that Filipinos would not feel out of place on the island, due to its sizeable Filipino population.

“For those who don't know, 27% of the population in Guam are Filipinos. So, if you go there to visit, you wouldn’t be feeling too far from home,” he said

Gejon also clarified that the Philippines is not affected by any new tourism policies implemented by the United States.

“For the $15,000 bond, this does not affect travelers from the Philippines. This is, actually, imposed on several countries, specifically for African countries who are taking advantage of the state of the US. This is not affecting any Filipino travelers, this does not affect us,” he said.

“There’s also the additional information about the $250 additional [Visa Integrity] fee. We haven’t received any information about that. Currently, it’s still not affecting the visa application in the Philippines,” he added.

Gejon also said that visa applications for the US remain the same, and no longer go through the US Embassy.

“The process is easier, you submit the documents, you go to the interview, and then you get the visa and it is approved. There are also instances where we have received reports from our side that sometimes you pass the requirements today, you do the interview the following day, and in 1-2 days, you receive the visa already. It depends on the documents you submit and it also depends on the circumstance that the applicant has,” he said.

Earlier, the US Embassy announced stricter processes for visa applications after cutting down the number of visa categories eligible for the interview waiver program for visa applications.

They also announced that the social media accounts of applicants seeking F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas must be set to “public” as part of their vetting process.

In the US, they also said that they will continue visa vetting for foreigners even when already admitted in the country.

The new policies pertaining to visa and entry into the United States were implemented as part of US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. — BM, GMA Integrated News