Tumon (Chamorro : Tomhom) is a district located on Tumon Bay along the northwest coast of the United States unincorporated territory of Guam. Located in the municipality of Tamuning, it is the center of Guam's tourist industry.
Tumon (Chamorro : Tomhom) is a district located on Tumon Bay along the northwest coast of the United States unincorporated territory of Guam. Located in the municipality of Tamuning, it is the center of Guam's tourist industry.
Tumon Bay or Agana Bay are the most likely locations that Ferdinand Magellan dropped anchor on March 6, 1521, though there was little further contact for the next 150 years. [1] When the Spanish Empire colonized Guam in 1668, Tomhom was one of the most prominent villages. The first Roman Catholic missionaries to the island, the Jesuit Padre (Pålé), the Spanish priest Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores and his sacristan, the Visayan Saint Pedro Calungsod were killed in Tumon by the village chief Matå'pang after San Vitores had baptised the chief's daughter without permission, but with mother's permission. This was an early inciting incident of the Spanish-Chamorro Wars. A park and statue mark the site of De San Vitores and Calungsod's martyrdom along the beach, while a nearby Catholic parish church dedicated to De San Vitores lies along Tumon's main road, which was also named in his honor.
A small tunnel through a large rock on the tourist beach overlooking the bay was part of the defensive positions prepared by the Japanese occupiers during World War II. The American forces landed in a different location during the 1944 Battle of Guam and the Tumon defenses were not tested.
Today, dozens of hotels in addition to shopping centers, water parks, night clubs, and other attractions can be found along the sandy beaches of Tumon Bay, which was recently made a marine preserve. Tumon is served by Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport in Tamuning.
As the center of Guam's tourist industry, Tumon often has issues that lead to political debates. A recurring one concerns whether adult entertainment businesses should remain in the area. Another involves propositions to legalize gambling on Guam which would lead to casinos in the area. Due to the area's economic importance, extensive public works projects often take place in Tumon leading some politicians to be both applauded and criticized for the disproportionate funding given the region. Tumon is part of the municipality of Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon, which is governed by an elected mayor.
"Tumon" and "Upper Tumon" are census-designated places in Guam.
The main source of public transportation in the district is through the bus or taxi service, while Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport is located in neighbouring Barrigada to the southeast.
The Guam Telephone Authority also operates in the area. Most of the island is powered through power poles; however, Tumon is the only village on the island to have underground power lines.
Tumon is Guam's economic center. Tourism makes up more than half the economy of the island. Tourists flock to the shopping centers each day to local malls and shopping centers in the area. In 2005, the Guam Visitors Bureau recorded that over 1.2 million visitors visited the island that year. [ citation needed ]
Tumon, as Guam's premier shopping district, has many malls and shopping arcades to choose from such as:
Because of all the luxury shops and midscale stores in the city, Tumon is often called "the Paris of the Pacific".
Tourists flock to the beaches of Tumon Bay to enjoy the clear water and a day full of activities. Popular attractions include shopping. The central area of Hotel Row is home to the largest tunnel aquarium in the world, an attraction known as the Daring Sling Shot (riders are strapped into a ball that is shot upward on a wire and brought back down), and the popular Magic on Ice Show at the Sand Castle. Now Tumon is viewed by some as a "mini-Waikiki", with Hawaiian style fire dances. There are also many Chamorro shows available.
The beaches in Tumon are all wildlife preserves. Fishing is allowed in certain areas, but fishers must stand on the beach to cast their nets or fishing lines. Walking into the water to fish is illegal.
One big Tourist Shopping location is Micronesia Mall, which has expanded and added a food court and a Macy's as the sole anchor store. Another big shopping location is a 24-hour Kmart, which is as big as any standard Kmart on the mainland US. Parking is frequently full and there is parking on the roof. Both Micronesia Mall and Kmart are off Hotel Row, with buses frequently running between the shops and the hotels.
Tumon has many dance clubs, several strip clubs and much more to offer. The largest dance center in the city is The Globe. The Sandcastle is a Las Vegas-style attraction, with magic shows featuring tigers, flamingos and other exotic animals.
There is currently a debate in the area on the subject of "adult entertainment". Some contend the strip clubs bring in much needed tourist dollars, while others believe they scare away families.
Guam Public School System serves the island. Currently only two schools serve the village of Tumon. They are John F. Kennedy High School and Chief Brodie Elementary.
The northern part of Tumon Bay is the busiest and the most populous part of the Tumon Bay districts. Most of the hotels in Tumon are located in this area, including Hotel Nikko Guam, Okura, Westin, Ohana Bayview, Ohana Oceanview, Tumon Bay Capitol, Outrigger, Hyatt, and Pia Marine. This section is also expecting an economic boom due to the arrival of the US military. Many new tall high-rise buildings are being constructed over the next few years, including infrastructure upgrades and an addition of many new shopping centers.
Many of the new high-rises in the northern Tumon area include, the Bayview 5, The Two Lovers Point Towers, a high-rise near the Westin, the Baldyga shopping center, the expansion of Underwater world and more projects expected to go up soon.
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Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States ; in Oceania, it is the largest and southernmost of the Mariana Islands and the largest island in Micronesia. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, and the most populous village is Dededo.
The history of Guam starts with the early arrival around 2000 BC of Austronesian people known today as the CHamorus. The CHamorus then developed a "pre-contact" society, that was colonized by the Spanish in the 17th century. The present American rule of the island began with the 1898 Spanish–American War. Guam's history of colonialism is the longest among the Pacific islands.
Hagåtña is the capital village of the United States territory of Guam. From the 18th through mid-20th century, it was Guam's population center, but today it is the second smallest of the island's 19 villages in both area and population. However, it remains one of the island's major commercial districts in addition to being the seat of government.
Tamuning, also known as Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon is a village located on the western shore of the United States territory of Guam. The village of Tamuning is the economic center of Guam, containing tourist center Tumon, Harmon Industrial Park, and other commercial districts. Its central location along Marine Corps Drive, the island's main thoroughfare, has aided in its development.
Garapan is the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island of Saipan, which is a part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Garapan, as a census-designated place, has an area of 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi) and a population of 3,588.
Pedro Calungsod, also known as Peter Calungsod and Pedro Calonsor, was a Catholic Filipino-Visayan migrant, sacristan and missionary catechist who, along with the Spanish Jesuit missionary Diego Luis de San Vitores, suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam for their missionary work in 1672.
Matå'pang was a Chamorro maga'låhi or chief of the ancient Chamorro village of Tomhom on the island of Guahan. His name meant "to be made pure by cleansing" in Chamorro.
Diego Luis de San Vitores was a Spanish Jesuit missionary who founded the first Catholic church on the island of Guam. He is responsible for establishing the Christian presence in the Mariana Islands. He is a controversial figure today due to his role in starting the Spanish-Chamorro Wars.
Tumon Bay is a bay in the United States territory of Guam, opening to the Philippine Sea. It is bounded to the north by Two Lovers Point and to the south by Ypao Point. The entirety of the bay falls within the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve, also known as the Tumon Bay Marine Preserve Area (MPA) and Tumon Preserve, one of five marine preserves on Guam. The Preserve measures 4.54 square kilometers and is roughly two miles long. The platform of the fringing reef that separates the open ocean from the lagoon is up to 1,450 feet (440 m) wide. and up to one mile from the shore. The bay is located off of the Tumon area, the tourist center of the island, in the village of Tamuning. The bay is extensively utilized for recreation and fishing.
Guam Highway 14 (GH-14) is one of the primary automobile highways in the United States territory of Guam.
Dededo is the most populated village in the United States territory of Guam. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dededo's population was just under 45,000 in 2020. The village is located on the coral plateau of Northern Guam. The greater Dededo-Machanao-Apotgan Urban Cluster had a population of 139,825 as of the 2010 census, making up 87.7% of Guam's population and 29.8% of its area.
Barrigada is a village in the United States territory of Guam. A largely residential municipality, its main village is located south of the Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport near the intersections of Routes 8, 10, and 16. The community east of the airport known as Barrigada Heights is considered an affluent neighborhood on the island, where homes have excellent views overlooking much of Guam including the island's airport and hotels along Tumon Bay. Another significant location is Mount Barrigada, nearly 200 meters above sea level. Its location in the center of the island means it houses most of the island's radio masts and towers; the position and height make it easier for radio signals to reach the entire island.
The Jesuit Martyrs of Micronesia (1670–1685) were a group of people were martyred in Guam and Marianas Island.
Pedro Calungsod: Batang Martir, also known as Journey of a Young Saint is a 2013 Philippine biographical film depicting the life and martyrdom of Saint Pedro Calungsod. Written and directed by Francis O. Villacorta and produced by HPI Synergy Group and Wings Entertainment, it was released on December 25, 2013 as an official entry to the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival.
The San Vitores Beach Japanese Fortification are the remains of World War II-era defensive positions facing the beach of Tumon Bay on the west side of the island of Guam. Located near the stairs to the beach of the Guam Reef Hotel are the remains of two concrete pillboxes built by Japanese defenders during the occupation period 1941–44. One structure, of which little more than a gun embrasure is discernible, is located in the limestone cliff about 10 metres (33 ft) inland from the high tide line, and a second is located about 10 meters south and 8 meters further inland, with only a section of roof slab and supporting columns recognizable.
Prostitution in Guam is illegal but is practised covertly, especially in massage parlours. Although massage parlours are sometimes raided, generally the authorities turn a blind eye.
Two Lovers Point is prominent cape and seaside cliff in Tamuning, Guam, that overlooks northern Tumon Bay and the Philippine Sea. One of four National Natural Landmarks on Guam, it is closely associated with the folktale of two doomed lovers and is a major tourist attraction.
The Spanish–Chamorro Wars, also known as the Chamorro Wars and the Spanish–Chamorro War, refer to the late seventeenth century unrest among the Chamorro people of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific Ocean against the colonial effort of Habsburg Spain. Anger at proselytizing by the first permanent mission to Guam, which was led by Diego Luis de San Vitores, and a series of cultural misunderstandings led to increasing unrest on Guam and a Chamorro siege of the Hagåtña presidio incited by maga’låhi (Chief) Hurao in 1670. Maga’låhi Matå'pang killed San Vitores in 1672, resulting in a campaign of Spanish reprisal burnings of villages through 1676. Local anger at the attacks against villages resulted in another open rebellion led by Agualin and a second siege of Hagåtña. Governor Juan Antonio de Salas conducted a counter-insurgency campaign that successfully created a system of collaboration in which Guamanians turned in rebels and murderers and transferred most of the people from about 180 villages to seven towns, a policy known as reducción. By the early 1680s, Guam was largely "reduced," or pacified.
Underwater diving encompasses a variety of economically and culturally significant forms of diving on the U.S. island territory of Guam. Scuba diving tourism is a significant component of the island's tourist activity, in particular for visitors from Japan and South Korea. Recreational diving by Guam residents has a lesser but still substantial economic impact. Marine biologists have raised concerns about the effect of diving upon the health of some of Guam's reefs. Recreational dive sites on Guam include submerged shipwrecks, such as the double wrecks of SMS Cormoran and Tokai Maru, and natural features, such as Blue Hole.
