SAMOA: Promoting Samoa Tourism Better

The logistics of attracting European tourists precludes any acceptable R.O.I. on limited Samoan tourism marketing funds.

How can you ask someone to travel 20 plus hours just to get in the pacific region, only then to have to get another connection or two to get to Samoa?

Fiji, French Polynesia And South East Asia are currently getting most of these travellers because of colonial connections or through superior transport logistics.

Samoa needs to expand the low hanging fruit picking strategy that has been used to great effect to attract N.Z. tourists and get far more Australian tourists to visit Samoa.

Currently fewer true tourists come from Australia compared to N.Z., however with 5 times the population, or 4 times just on the east coast, there is great potential to yield solid incremental growth with a little effort.

That is good R.O.I. for the scarce Samoan international marketing funds.

Many of my Aussie friends are sick of going to Bali, Thailand and even Fiji, with those that have ventured here really enjoying the unique Samoan experience and most vowing to return in a couple of years. Had they not had a Samoan connection to come and visit, Samoa would have remained the best-kept secret it currently is on the Australian tourist destination radar.

If numbers from Australia were to double, it would still proportionally be half of N.Z., but this would represent maybe 20-25% growth in tourism for Samoa.

Such growth is possible with the current infrastructure and would go along way to raise the average occupancy from the current 40% to the targeted 60% by 2020.

Also consider that the inbound routes are already there and if successful would only need to be expanded rather than established, much cheaper and easier. With the imminent rising of the Polynesian Phoenix, such a strategy to target the Australian market would actually support efforts to build a sustainable national carrier.

Finally Australia has a higher per capita G.D.P. than N.Z., so it would be reasonable to assume that Aussies would spend more when holidaying here, another key goal of Samoan tourism.

To plagiarize a controversial but effective line from Australia’s tourism marketing o a few years ago... “Aussies, where the bloody hell are ya!”

SAMOA: Digicel Samoa Plans To Go Into Tourism Industry With Brand New Hotel

Digicel Samoa’s Chief Executive Officer: Rory Condon.

Digicel Samoa is looking into joining the tourism industry through the development of a brand new hotel.

This was confirmed by Digicel Samoa’s Chief Executive Officer, Rory Condon during an interview where he stated that the company wishes to make the most of Samoa’s beauty.

Although no formal announcement have been made, Mr. Condon said that when the development is completed, it will benefit Samoa in many different ways.

“We haven’t yet made any formal announcements but what I can say is that Samoa is so beautiful,” he told the Samoa Observer.

“You have to pinch yourself sometimes when you look around and this beauty is the obvious attraction that prompted us to have a plan to build a hotel in Samoa.”

According to Mr. Condon, the telecommunication company has only the success of the tourism industry in mind with their hotel plans.

“It’s a plan that’s rooted in the future success of the Samoan tourism Industry,” he said.

“You only have to look at the enormous excitement of having Samoa up on the world stage after the recent boxing match I was at in Auckland.”

Mr. Condon also confirmed that this is a plan long in the making.

hief Executive Officer: Rory Condon.

Digicel Samoa is looking into joining the tourism industry through the development of a brand new hotel.

This was confirmed by Digicel Samoa’s Chief Executive Officer, Rory Condon during an interview where he stated that the company wishes to make the most of Samoa’s beauty.

Although no formal announcement have been made, Mr. Condon said that when the development is completed, it will benefit Samoa in many different ways.

“We haven’t yet made any formal announcements but what I can say is that Samoa is so beautiful,” he told the Samoa Observer.

“You have to pinch yourself sometimes when you look around and this beauty is the obvious attraction that prompted us to have a plan to build a hotel in Samoa.”

According to Mr. Condon, the telecommunication company has only the success of the tourism industry in mind with their hotel plans.

“It’s a plan that’s rooted in the future success of the Samoan tourism Industry,” he said.

“You only have to look at the enormous excitement of having Samoa up on the world stage after the recent boxing match I was at in Auckland.”

Mr. Condon also confirmed that this is a plan long in the making.

“I have been working on a plan for a couple of years now,” he said.

“Personally I come from a country that has built a strong, tourism economy while at the same time guarding its traditions and its cultures and playing to its unique strengths that attracts tourists.

“So it’s with this mindset that we put together a plan for a development in Apia. We work really closely with the Samoa Tourism Authority (S.T.A.) and the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labor (M.C.I.L.) as well as other government departments who support our vision.”

Furthermore, Mr. Condon says that it’s an exciting time for tourism and that this development will seek to benefit the nation greatly.

“It’s (plans) still early days and we expect to be developing sometime in the middle of next year but it’s a really exciting time for tourism in Samoa,” he said.

“There have been many very fantastic developments built in this current year and my view is I believe that rising tides lift all boats and our development will occupy some space in Samoa.

“It will attract a new centre of tourists and employ many Samoans so it will benefit Samoans right across.

We are very excited about this project.”