Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Samoa Tourism Authority hosted a series of industry sessions to help enhance Samoa’s tourism products and services. 

Held in Apia and Savai’i over two days, the industry Talanoa Meets were initiated by STA and gathered local tourism industry members to collaborate on issues covering tourism product offerings, marketing and promotion, research and statistics, and policies for industry development.

This is outlined in a press statement issued by the STA yesterday.

The STA Minister Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster emphasized the need for tourism industry operators and STA to work together to increase the number of visitors to Samoa following the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is Samoa Tourism Authority’s goal to better promote and entice potential visitors to choose Samoa over other Pacific Island countries as a place to visit, relax and recuperate from the rigors of life.

“Samoa is the destination for travelers wanting to learn about a different culture and way of life, enjoy the beauty of nature in its pristine and unspoiled way, celebrate special occasions and events, and to reconnect with their aiga (family),” said the Minister.

The industry sessions covered tourism product, featuring Samoa as an attractive tourism destination.

“Tourism Marketing & Promotion – How we want visitors to imagine Samoa; Research & Statistics – Understanding numbers is crucial to good business making decisions; Policies for Tourism Development – Actions and behaviours needed to fulfill our goals as a sound tourism destination and Group Presentations – Open discussions on what’s next.

“STA will collate all feedback provided at the sessions on how best to improve Samoa's tourism offering and position Samoa as a preferred travel destination, and present to the industry during its final Industry Talanoa Meet at Hotel Tanoa Tusitala in Apia next week.”

The STA further noted that although the visitor numbers to the island have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, recent tourism data reveals a steady flow of travelers since Samoa's reopening in August last year.

“Released recently by STA, the data reveals that the number of visitors for the August through December 2022 period sits around 47,000 people—over half of the amount of pre-pandemic visitors recorded in 2019.”