Tumon () is a district located on Tumon Bay along the northwest coast of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

unincorporated territory of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

. Located in the municipality of

Tamuning 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, ...

, it is the center of Guam's

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

industry.

History

Tumon Bay or Agana Bay are the most likely locations that

Ferdinand Magellan Ferdinand Magellan ( – 27 April 1521) was a Portuguese explorer best known for having planned and led the 1519–22 Spanish expedition to the East Indies. During this expedition, he also discovered the Strait of Magellan, allowing his fl ...

dropped anchor on March 6, 1521, though there was little further contact for the next 150 years. When the

Spanish Empire The Spanish Empire, sometimes referred to as the Hispanic Monarchy (political entity), Hispanic Monarchy or the Catholic Monarchy, was a colonial empire that existed between 1492 and 1976. In conjunction with the Portuguese Empire, it ushered ...

colonized Guam in 1668, ''Tomhom'' was one of the most prominent villages. The first

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

missionaries to the island, the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Padre (''Pålé''), the Spanish priest Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores and his

sacristan A sacristan is an officer charged with care of the sacristy, the church, and their contents. In ancient times, many duties of the sacrist were performed by the doorkeepers ( ostiarii), and later by the treasurers and mansionarii. The Decretal ...

, 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

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese occupiers during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. 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

Politics

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.

Transportation and communications

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 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 communi ...

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.

Economy

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.

Shopping

Tumon, as Guam's premier shopping district, has many malls and shopping arcades to choose from such as: *Duty Free Galleria (DFS) *Acanta Mall *Tumon Sands Plaza *The Plaza *JP Superstore Because of all the luxury shops and midscale stores in the city, Tumon is often called "''the Paris of the Pacific''".

Activities

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 Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...

as the sole anchor store. Another big shopping location is a 24-hour

Kmart Kmart ( ), formerly legally registered as Kmart Corporation, now operated by Transformco, is a department-store chain and online retailer in the United States and Territories of the United States, its territories. It operates four remaining Kma ...

, 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.

Nightlife and entertainment

Tumon has many dance clubs, several

strip clubs A strip club (also known as a strip joint, striptease bar, peeler bar, gentlemen's club, among others) is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease and other erotic dances including lap dances. St ...

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.

Education

Guam Public School System serves the island. Currently only two Guam public schools serve the village of Tumon. They are John F. Kennedy High School and Chief Brodie Elementary. In regards to the

Department of Defense Education Activity The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a federal school system headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on beh ...

(DoDEA), Tumon is in the school transportation zone for Andersen Elementary and Andersen Middle School, while Guam High School is the island's sole DoDEA high school.

Northern Tumon

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 Westin Hotels & Resorts is an American upscale hotel chain owned by Marriott International. , the Westin Brand has 226 properties with 82,608 rooms in multiple countries in addition to 58 hotels with 15,741 rooms in the pipeline. History Wes ...

, Ohana Bayview, Ohana Oceanview, Tumon Bay Capitol,

Outrigger An outrigger is a projecting structure on a boat, with specific meaning depending on types of vessel. Outriggers may also refer to legs on a wheeled vehicle that are folded out when it needs stabilization, for example on a crane that lifts he ...

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational corporation, multinational hospitality company headquartered in the 150 North Riverside, Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchise ...

, 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.

External links and references

Guam Visitors Bureau

at Guam Portal * Rogers, Robert F (1995). Destiny's Landfall: A History of Guam: University of Hawai'i Press.
Report: Dredging information about Tumon Beach
- Guam Environmental Protection Agency. September 2000.

at Guam Review Specific {{coord, display=title Census-designated places in Guam