SAMOA HOSTS INDUSTRY MEET TO SHOWCASE TOURISM OFFERING
Photo: S.T.A
The Samoa Tourism Authority (S.T.A) in its mission to further enhance and boost Samoa's tourism products and services hosted a series of industry sessions to help achieve this objective. The initiative dubbed and known as the "Industry Talanoa Meets" were instigated by S.T.A and collected local tourism industry members to collaborate and discuss issues ranging from tourism product offerings, marketing and promotion, research and statistics, as well as policies for industry development.
The Minister of the Samoa Tourism Authority, Hon.Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster conveyed inspiring remarks during the meeting, emphasising the need for tourism industry operators and S.T.A to work together in order to increase the number of visitors to Samoa following the devastating 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 rigours of life,” stated the S.T.A Minister.
He further said that Samoa is the destination for travellers wanting to learn about a different culture and way of life, enjoy the beauty of nature in its pristine and unspoilt way, celebrate special occasions and events, and to reconnect
with their aiga or family.
The industry sessions cover topics such as;
● Tourism Product – features of 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 fulfil our goals as a sound
tourism destination
● Group Presentations – Open discussions on what’s next
S.T.A will collect and gather all feedback from the sessions to draw a strategy on how to best improve Samoa's tourism offering and position Samoa as a preferred travel destination. The feedback will be presented to the industry during its final Industry Talanoa Meet on Tuesday 14th March at Hotel Tanoa Tusitala in Apia.