Samoa Tourism Authority

Chief executive Dwayne Bentley said the health and safety of locals and visitors is a top priority.

He said a series of processes are in place in Samoa including the ongoing vaccination rollout, a digital tracing app, and upskilling the workers on health and safety training.

Testing capabilities will also be bolstered.

Before international visitors come in August, Samoans will be able to travel from this month.

The Samoa Tourism Authority hosted local media representatives on a tour to hotels, resorts and beach fales on Savai’i on Tuesday.

The tour of the big island comes two years after the last tour in 2019 which was also organised by the authority.

STA said the impact of climate change on tourism assets on the big island remains an ongoing concern.

The media tour also visited some of the affected properties to see the damage along the coastline.

The appointment is effective from 11 December 2021.

The current Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Tourism Authority, Suifua has been a member of the SPTO Board since 2019 and was elected as the Deputy Board Chairman in October 2021.

As previously announced by SPTO, the current Chairman Halatoa Fua has had to vacate his Chairmanship as he prepares to depart the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation to take up the position of Director of National Environment Services of the Cook Islands.

Made up of players who identify with Pacific Island nations including Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands, the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) is thrilled to support the team’s debut.

The partnership will see the ‘Beautiful Samoa’ logo displayed prominently on the back of the team's playing jersey, as well as at Moana Pasifika’s home matches at Mt Smart Stadium, and on the club’s website and social media platforms – putting the island nation front and centre of the world’s most exciting provincial rugby tournaments.

Held at the STA cultural village beside the government building, hundreds of families and business owners gathered to take in the live performances making it even more exciting.

Pacific Love band, Nato Brothers, and Aumaga Dance Group were some of the groups that livened the atmosphere.

One of the most significant part of the event was the Covid-19 vaccination which was held at one of the fale Samoa – many who came for the event were seen taking their jabs for coronavirus.

Luai who is currently based with the Penrith Panthers will be joining the likes of Wallabies prop, Scott Sio and All Black, Sa’u Patrick Tuipulotu as STA Ambassadors.

This was confirmed by STA in a recent statement.

The NRL star is elated to be picked as an ambassador to promote tourism in the country.

The Penrith star’s Samoan roots stretch back to his grandparents and he admits the rich Samoan culture has played an influential role in his life.

The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) has launched the ​South Pacific Tourism Virtual Exchange Program ​and is calling on fellow New Zealand tourism and hospitality specialists and businesses to collaborate on the upskilling of industry workers ahead of borders reopening. 

Championing Pacific-bubble relations, the new learning program will enable international industry skill sharing via interactive online webinars, engaging mentoring sessions and the sharing of key industry insights and resources, with a particular focus on food and beverage and language lessons. 

The projects were funded by New Zealand government and was celebrated in a launch earlier this week in Salelologa, Savaii.

The event took place at Jetover Hotel in Salelologa and was attended by New Zealand High Commissioner Dr Trevor Matheson, the Associate Minister of Tourism Fagaivalu Kenrick Samu, STA CEO Faamatuainu Lenata’i Suifua, members of the Samoa Tourism Board, Samoa Hotel Association, and the Savaii Samoa Tourism Association.

After a special meeting last Saturday the cabinet appointed Faamatuainu Lenata'i Suifua to lead the authority for the next three years.

The current chief executive officer, Papalii Sonja Hunter, who did not re-apply, has been in the position for over a decade.

The cabinet's appointment for a new CEO was made in urgency under section 38 of the constitution.

Meanwhile the 37-year-old Faamatuainu has been working for the Authority for almost ten years and has held a senior position in the marketing division.

Latest data from the Central Bank of Samoa puts our GDP at close to $1.9 billion tala, which means that the STA must increase its revenue earning capacity by almost three times from its present annual tourism earnings of $350 million tala a year to close to $1 billion tala a year.

“While it may sound improbable and very ambitious, I am a firm believer that anything is possible,” says new Tourism Minister Lautafi Fio Selafi Purcell in his speech to STA employees during a welcoming event hosted in his honour as the new Minister for the Tourism Sector.