FOR so long, Samoa, like many other Pacific Island nations, was shut off from Australians, with leisure travel to the tropical paradise only resuming at the start of this month.
But with economic recovery the order of the day, Australia is being viewed as a key source market for Samoa, and now that the airports are finally open again, the country’s tourism body is preparing to embark on a significant push Down Under to make sure the message that it’s open for business reaches the ears of travellers.
One area the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) will focus on moving forward is the trade, with a number of initiative planned over the next six months to put Samoa top-of-mind with travel advisors.
These will include a travel agent famil as part of its refreshed educational program, the details of which are still to be finalised, as well as a Samoa Trade Roadshow, which is planned for the first quarter of 2023.
A Tourism Exchange in Samoa is also slated to take place during the same quarter, with agents likely to receive updated training material in the form of webinars and online presentations as well.
Testament to the renewed focus is a recruitment drive kicked off by the STA to hire two local sales executives in Australia to support ongoing trade activity, with the positions to be based in Queensland and Victoria.
These efforts will look to augment recent consumer campaign activity targeting Aussies, including an ad starring NRL and Penrith Panthers playmaker Jarome Luai.
