Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Port of Apia this week welcomed the return of cruise ships with Westerdam and Zuiderdam from the Holland America line calling in at Matautu this past Tuesday and Thursday respectively.

The development is a special milestone as both vessels will be calling into Samoa for the very first time. 

A statement issued by the Samoa Tourism Authority says the visits will be the first cruise ship port calls following the reopening of borders on 1st August and the lifting of Covid-19 entry requirements on Sept. 22. 

“To celebrate the occasion, a special welcome featuring traditional entertainment has been organised by the Samoa Tourism Authority in collaboration with the Samoa Ports Authority, Betham Brother’s Enterprises the contracted shipping agent) and Margaret’s Tours, the official shore excursion partner.”

The General Manager of Betham Brothers Enterprises (BBE), Fuimaono Hugo Betham is delighted with the return of cruise ships.

“We are thrilled to see large-scale cruising come back to Samoa. For us it’s important that our principals Carnival Corporation have shown confidence in the work of our Ministry of Health and Port Health teams and steps taken by everyone to ensure Samoa is ready to safely welcome cruise lines back to our shores” said Betham.

Margaret Ryan of Margaret's Tour, echoed similar sentiments saying she’s also excited to welcome cruise ships back again.

Ryan shared that while many have arranged tours through the vessels, many more will sample what Samoa has to offer either through taxis, independent tour operators and on-their-own.

Westerdam is on a trans-Pacific cruise, which started in Seattle on Oct 2. It’s carrying 1,345 passengers and 768 crew. It’s current cruise is expected to end in Sydney on Nov. 8. 

For Zuiderdam, it’s on a South Pacific cruise, which started in San Diego on  Oct 3. After Apia, it will call into Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands and French Polynesia before finishing back in San Diego on Nov 17.   

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) welcomes the announcement of the resumption of the cruise ships market in Samoa this week. 

“The visits will be the first cruise ship port calls following the reopening of borders on 1st August and the lifting of COVID-19 entry requirements. Also, a notable milestone as both vessels will be calling into Samoa for the first time.”

In welcoming the announcement, SPTO CEO Christopher Cocker acknowledged the importance of the cruise ship markets to the Pacific region. Mr Cocker also acknowledged that the SPTO Strategic Plan 2020 -2024 highlights the development of the cruise and yachting sector through innovative partnerships forged by SPTO.

“Samoa has joined Fiji, Tonga, New Caledonia, and Tahiti in welcoming back cruise ships post-COVID-19. I understand that this is the very first visit for both the Westerdam and Zuiderdam and I am sure that they were warmly welcomed in Beautiful Samoa”.

“Cruise ship tourism is a fast-growing branch of the tourism sector so seeing it resuming operations in the Pacific is certainly encouraging. This is an exciting and interesting time for tourism in the Pacific, as we strategize to transform and recover post-pandemic.” Mr Cocker said.