Gaga for Guam

Chinese tourists have found Guam an intriguing destination with clear seawater, colorful corals, steep cliffs and rich island culture.[Photo provided to China Daily]

United Airlines offers two direct flights between Shanghai and the island weekly. Flights take less than five hours.

Korean Air operates daily flights from Beijing or Shanghai to Guam via Seoul. Japan Airlines has flights to Guam from the Chinese mainland via Tokyo, and Philippine Airlines flies to Guam via Manila.

The island authority has also worked with air companies, including Dynamic Airways and United Airlines, to charter flights from Henan province's capital, Zhengzhou, and Jiangsu province's capital, Nanjing.

The flights, the unique culture and the shopping in the island coupled with the prolonged visa is going to be a shot in the arm for tourism in Guam, its tourism authority believes.

Yu agrees.

He says he'd visit again since the multiple-entry visa allows him to return any time he wants within a decade.

"Apart from the beaches, you'll never get tired of seeing very kind locals, and the cheaper shopping at duty-free shops is irresistible," he says.

"The island is close enough to China that, if I buy enough there, the money I would've saved could equal air tickets."