Samoa is not a big place with lots of different accommodation types. We are still in the beginning of developing a quality tourist destination.

Some of the bigger hotel has got a well organized infra structure with their own black and grey water cleaning systems. Samoa in general still has a long way to go to get all areas of service working properly.

Some tourists are telling us that they enjoy the old way of doing things, which is fine. The reality is that not every old practice is environmentally friendly. As the progress is slow we will not change too quick anyway.

We get requests from people that are interested in home exchange, which I think is a great idea. I use your home and you use mine…

This is a simple idea and it works really well. You save all hotel expenses and just need to save up for the travel and food and drinks. Many families also let people use their cars and bicycles.

So far this is a new idea in Samoa and very few people have used the system. We hope that we have an opportunity to change this which could be a great experience for both Samoans and people from outside.

I am not sure though, that everyone would exchange their nice house for a small Samoan Fale?

You can go to almost every country in the world and use this system. have a look at how it works and save yourself all the hotel costs on your next trip.

Keep getting the news from Samoa in our Free Newsletter

http://www.samoa-experience.net

Mats Loefkvist

Hotels Samoa

This is the time of the year when a small shift is taking place in the samoan climate.

Between November and April the humidity is higher and  constant sweating belongs to the daily life. It can be very uncomfortable when coming directly from a cooler country not being used to having a semi wet T-shirt all day long.

It is understandable that most visitors like to spend most of their time with their feet in the water on the beach or by the hotel pool.

Cooler times ahead.

During the months between May and October we usually have a nice strong breeze blowing all day long which makes it cooler and more comfortable. This is also the time when most tourists are coming to the island, filling up our hotel rooms.

As usual, when more tourists are arriving the prices will also go up. This year has been different from others because of the previous tsunami which scared off lots of booked guests. Today the situation is slowly getting back to what is was before although the number of accommodation available have decreased.

Many of the smaller operators are not bothering any more to continue serving the tourists.

The opportunity season.

It is good to know that lots of great accommodation deals are available between November and April and if this is the time for your holiday, don’t hesitate to come to Samoa. Everyone will have extra time for just you and you will probably have a very profound experience.

Although it is great to stay at the beach, you should give Apia a few days and explore the many small but very good restaurants, the market and the police band marching every morning to raise the flag in front of the government building.

If you haven’t been to Samoa yet, you should know that we are only 4 hours away from New Zealand and 5 hours from Australia. Both destinations have direct flights. If you are coming from Europe and going to New Zealand you can make a stop in Samoa without extra costs. Air New Zealand has a direct flight from Los Angeles.

Mats Loefkvist

Book hotels Samoa and accommodation directly on our site www.samoa-experience.com

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Salani Surf Resort was a beautifully designed small resort in Samoan style. Totally integrated in the Salani village the resort was operated by surfers for surfers. Exactly where the river meets the sea become the perfect location for accessing the great waves just a short boat ride away.

The nature of a surfer is to be up early in the morning to watch the waves and plan for the perfect time to get out to sea. This habit probably saved all the guests and staff at Salani in the morning on September 29, 2009. The knowledge of earth quakes creating tsunamis plus that the water disappeared from the lagoon was signs enough for the manager Nick to quickly evacuate all people from the resort up to higher grounds.

In just minutes 12 years of work was washed away by the huge tsunami wave that followed. The place was completely clean except for one house that for some reason was spared.

Not sure about the future.

There are hopes to have Salani surf resort up and running again after a year or more but this is still only hopes. It is all depending on insurance payments and the willingness to continue by the owners.

Salani Surf resort was always very concerned about safety and good practices for their surfing guests which was very valuable for the reputation of Samoa as a good surfing destination. It would be very welcomed to have Salani Surf Resort continuing their work in this area which certainly would make a difference in promoting Samoa worldwide as a safe and caring destination.

Listen to Nick when he explains what happened on September 29, 2009

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

I just got off the phone after talking to Chris, the owner of Seabreeze Resort at the south east coast of Upolu island in Samoa. Chris explained that after 4 months not a cent of aid help has been provided by the Samoan government. Nobody is answering emails or phone calls to give an explanation why things takes such a long time.

Repairing before rebuilding

The last four months Chris and his wife Wendy have spent their time repairing buildings that were still standing after the tsunami at September 29, 2009. The buildings they are currently working on are the former suites 1 – 7 and the old laundry. Luckily all the work can be managed by Chris himself with all his experiences as a professional builder. The old restaurant has to be totally rebuilt from the beginning and tomorrow they will receive an Architect from New Zealand helping with the new layout.

Not much of the rebuilding can begin before they get a clear answer from both insurance company and government. Chris tells – The frustration is growing every day and soon some kind of action has to be taken to get the ball rolling.

Wendy wants all her kids back at work.

Chris and Wendy have always had such a strong bound with their staff and it is heart breaking to know that very few of them have a work at this time. All the kids will hopefully soon be back in their Seabreeze family again.

Will Seabreeze be open in November?

If things get moving very soon there is a good chance to have the resort up and running in November this year. There are many things that has to be done, a new restaurant is needed, destroyed bungalows needs to be rebuilt and a new seawall construction must be erected to protect from further erosion. The resort already lost about 3 meters of their grounds that was eaten by the tsunami wave.

See the video where Chris and Wendy will explain their plans for the future.

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

Goals worth nothing

First I like to wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR with the hope that you have spent some valuable time with your family and loved ones. As usual you are supposed to set goals for the new year, which most of the time only are nice wishes. Goals and wishes are worth nothing without action, so let’s have some action during 2010. I believe that this is the time to start new and be totally open for different ideas rather then going in the footpath of the comfortable past years. We need to start thinking outside the box.

The numbers below shows clearly that we are on the right way. The traps are many and only with careful planning, a common vision and quality we will be able to succeed.

Minister of tourism

What the Tourism Minister Plan

Samoa broke the ST300 million barrier in tourism earnings in the year to the end of June.  The first time we earned ST310 million, which is about 30% of our GDP—the largest single contributor after remittances.

Up until now, tourism has been booming in Samoa with Australian holiday makers tripling in number over the last six years. Over 15,000 Australians made a holiday in Samoa in 2008.

Internationally, Samoa received over 120,000 tourists during the same year of 2008.
Taking into account Samoa’s natural beauty, the friendly locals, and the growing accommodation industry, it is no surprise that the vast majority of travelers visit for leisure purposes.

The Tourism Ministry’s goal is to get 135,000 tourists, which is an increase on the last year of about 16 percent.

Tourism is a key industry for the Samoan economy. It’s the biggest revenue earner, worth $300 million a year. It also brings in the most foreign exchange, providing and creating employment opportunities for our people.

Project planner

New Projects?

In light of the tsunami disaster, questions are now being asked about whether the massive tourism development project that was planned for Sasina and other villages in Savaii will still go ahead.
What about the proposed Warwick hotel at Vavau? How will the tsunami affect the progress of that project?

According to an official report Samoa still have about 85% of the accommodation businesses in operation and the only thing stopping the earnings for the tourism sector is the hesitation of the visitors to come back. The report tells the following:
1.    We still have five out of seven deluxe hotels available – 326 rooms and 854 beds.
2.    We still have five out of seven superior resorts available – 135 rooms and 314 beds
3.    We still have 22 out of 24 standard hotels available – 315 rooms and 759 beds
4.    We still have 27 out of 29 budget hotels available – 406 rooms and 864 beds
5.    We still have nine out of 14 beach fales available (overnight stays) or 144 rooms and 348 beds.
6.    We still have eight out of 17 beach fales available (day stays) or 51 rooms.”

Fly Easy to Samoa

Air Pacific has just launched a new flight given Samoa a direct service to Honolulu which has proven very lucrative.
We’ve now got 14 flights a week from New Zealand, 3 flights a week nonstop from Sydney and one from Brisbane. Still Air New Zealand is flying the popular route Los Angeles –  New Zealand with a stop in Apia.

A Must for the Future

Tourism is growing greener and more and more travelers demand a green and responsible development for the future. People are not only prepared to pay more for an environmentally aware hotel, they are also not prepared to contribute to any irresponsible activity unfavorable to the nature what so ever.

Although the tsunami was a terrible disaster, it gives us the possibility to rethink and review the future plans of our tourism activities.

Looking Back on 2009

Full of sadness, there is no doubt the events of September, especially the tsunami which killed 143 people, tops the list.
September was an action-packed month. There was the controversial road switch, the $20million boat stuck on the reef in Apia and the Hotel Kitano fire.

Many people were and are still struggling to make ends meet.
The swine flu was scary. At least 138 Samoans were diagnosed with three people killed.

Happenings in April

Guinness World Record Travelers visit
Traveling Swiss couple, Emil and Liliana Schmid are Guinnes Book record holders, and they visited Samoa to extend their record to 163 countries visited.
But that is only part of an amazing story that started 24 and a half years ago for the couple and still continues.
What sets the couple apart and what has won them special recognition by the Guinness Book of record is where they always take their trusty Toyota land cruiser car where ever they go.
The Schmids and their 1982 FJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser have traveled 642 thousand kilometers – the most by any other couple. They have traveled around in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and now the Oceania.

Happenings in May

Swine flu
May was the swine flu month. All visitors to Samoa were tested at the airport as Samoa braced itself for the swine flu virus. There were men and women walking around Samoa with masks, an usual sight.
In the end, the disease killed three people. Over hundred Samoans were tested swine flu positive.

Happenings in June

Fagali’i airport returns
Four years after it was closed, Fagali’i Airport was back in business with international flights from Pago Pago served only by Polynesian Airlines. The airport was closed for safety reasons.

Happenings in September

Road switch
Samoa changed over to drive on the left side of the road after a long and criticized process.

Boat stranded worth $20m
The container ship, Forum Samoa II, stuck on the reef in Apia

Kitano fire

Apia landmark up in smoke
An electrical fault is one possible cause of the fire which destroyed iconic fale of the former Kitano Tusitala Hotel, now known as Tanoa Tusitala.
Bought by Tanoa Hotels Group July this year, the three fale were reduced to ashes within an hour by raging flames. All had just been renovated by the new owners.

Tsunami hits
Government officials and emergency agencies worked endless days and nights to deliver tents and water to stricken Aleipata, Siumu and Falealili residents hit hardest by the tsunami on September 29.

Happenings in December

Savaii – top of the list

Savaii is doing well and many hotels have a better occupancy than previous year despite of the many cancellations because of the tsunami.

Help us keeping the VISION of a great new Samoa…

Mats Loefkvist     www.samoa-experience.com

After a few years in the business we know that it takes a bit more than that to get established. Although Tourism is the number one revenue earner in Samoa there is still very little knowledge about what is required to make a hotel profitable and working. The ones who have been around for some time knows that you have to hang in there with both hands and feet to survive. We do what we can, usually with very little money, to raise the quality and improve the experience for our visitors. Unfortunately we sometimes get tourists to Samoa that think that accommodation and food should be almost for free although we pay more for our food shopping than you would do in New Zealand and Australia.

One very good thing is that we are willing to learn what we can do better and improve, so please let us know and give us your comments.

By the way, Have you booked your hotel yet? If not, just go to:  http://www.samoa-experience.com

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PLEASE, come and share your personal experience about Samoa, whatever it is, with many people that are longing for information from a normal person like you and me.

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Happy reading and commenting….

Mats