Tourism potential of Samoa
As some of this blog’s readers will know, I spent a week in the Pacific nation of Samoa last May. It goes against the grain of this blog to say it, but I found it the most extraordinary place I’ve visited this, and possibly any other year.
When there, I thought it had such incredible tourism potential. Samoa is packed with awesome natural wonders, a genuinely unique culture and a population of genuinely friendly people. The whole tropical island paradise thing kinda helps too.
The September tsunami
In September, Samoa was struck by a tsunami. Hundreds died, villages were wiped out and tourist accommodation was wrecked. It was a devastating blow for the islands; a tragedy for many involved.
Long-term tsunami effects
But the longer lasting effects are just beginning to be felt. The problem Samoa has is convincing people that the whole country isn’t a disaster zone. Potential visitors have mental images of a debris-strewn hell and travel editors don’t seem to want to touch the country with a bargepole now, fearing that they are sending readers into a place that can’t accommodate them.
Great PR challenge
This must be one of the greatest challenges for a tourist board or destination PR company – particularly when it comes to a country that is so little known in the first place. You don’t want to dwell on a tragedy, but the first thing you need to convince people of is that it has been recovered from and that much of the country wasn’t hit in the first place. That’s before you can start sending the message of how great the place is.
The competition doesn’t have that first hurdle to cross, and thus has a racing head start.
Return to Samoa
I intend to revisit Samoa in April. I want to see with my own eyes what has – and importantly, what hasn’t – changed. I want to talk to people affected by the tsunami, and I want to explore areas and aspects of the country that I didn’t have time to investigate before.
Because I’ve not seen the country post-disaster, I can’t categorically say which areas of Samoa have recovered and which were not affected in the first place. But by reading accounts from the islands, understanding which parts were hit and having a decent grasp of the geography, I can safely say that almost all of the highlights were left untouched.
Full page adverts
How to communicate this though? I see Samoa has taken full page ads in the travel sections of Australian newspapers to promote the islands but, again, the first message they have to communicate is – essentially – “come to Samoa, it’s not as bad as you think”. It’s not a great war cry, is it?
Highlights of ‘Upolu
Well I’d like to be able to do my bit, even if one blog entry will barely scratch the surface. Samoa is a wonderful, amazing value place that sticks in the memory for so many reasons. Robert Louis Stevenson’s house and grave, drinking ‘ava in the markets at Apia, playing the unique Samoan take on cricket at a theological college, the gorgeous cove at Vava’u… and that’s all before I’d left the main island of ‘Upolu.
Savai’i – South Pacific’s great travel secret?
The real magic is on the larger sister island, Savai’i, however. Savai’i was left almost entirely untouched by the tsunami, and the two days I spent there unquestionably go down as the happiest I’ve had this year. Weird rock formations, mysterious pyramids, volcanic craters with hundreds of flying foxes swooping across, an oceanic fireworks display at the Alofaafa blowholes, the last beach in the world to see midnight, giant lava tubes and swimming with turtles were amongst the things that would be the number one attraction anywhere else.
Abiding memory of Samoa
My abiding memory, however, is driving back to the hotel as the sun was setting over the lagoon to the left. On the right, we could see into villages; the adults chatting in their open fales (traditional Samoan houses), the children playing rugby and the ubiquitous piglets running amok. It was just one of those magical things that it’s impossible to truly convey with mere words.
Getting visitors back to Samoa
I truly hope Samoa can get the visitors back, and continue its promising progress as a tourist destination. I don’t want people to think about going there through charity – I want them to think of going there because it’s refreshingly different, remarkably inexpensive and absolutely stunning. The tourist board and PR agencies have got a real challenge on their hands, but I desperately hope they can succeed. Samoa holds special memories for me – and I’m sure it will do for anyone else who visits too.
More information on Samoa and travel articles
For more information of on Samoa, visit the tourist board website. And if any travel editors reading this piece would be interested in publishing a more in-depth piece on Samoa and its many highlights, please feel free to drop me a line on david.whitley(at)yahoo.co.uk.
Tags: marketing, samoa, travel pr, Travel Writing
You’ve now got me interested visiting Samoa too. I know a bit more about what happened in Mexico after the swine flu , and they’re really struggling. I’m currently in Los Angeles, and the sentiment is still that you’ll end up deathly ill just by going over the border!
David –
Its certainly a vicious cycle. the LAST thing Samoa (and many other tourism destinations in the same situation) need in a time like this is for tourism to drop off.
Your comment about the media making it look worse than it is hit home. In 2000, I was traveling when i saw CNN coverage of the earthquake that hit Seattle which was then home. I literally fell to my knees when I saw the devastation. I thought the city had been leveled. Then I came to my senses after I noticed they were showing the same three sections of footage. Other than a few sections, it was not nearly as bad as the media portrayed.
I’m sure there are some great deals to be had in Samoa as they try to entice tourism back.