Samoa’s tourism industry is struggling to contain the losses the measles outbreak has created which currently stands at $ST10 million and rising.
Tourism Authority Chief Executive Officer Fa’amatuainu Lenata’i Suifua has labeled the losses as “unprecedented for the industry”.
He told Samoa Observer that $2.4 million in lost revenue was attributed to cancelled bookings because of the epidemic which has so far taken 83 lives, mainly children under four years old, and infected more than 5,000 people.
But the CEO remained optimistic in the face of a costly rebuilding in visitor confidence.
“We are a resilient bunch, having faced natural disasters before and our focus now is just on rebuilding our brand and image for our potential visitors to help our industry recover [while remaining] mindful of the human loss [caused by measles],” Fa’amatuainu said.
The estimate of losses are from a survey of 40 of the 140 hotels registered with STA and includes the “luxury hotels”. The lucrative cruise ship sector has also taken a hit with two cancellations losing revenue from the expected 3000 passengers and crew.
According to Central Bank figures the tourism industry numbers increased by 15 percent in the third quarter of 2019 just before the measles epidemic was declared.
“Although this is a setback, what we should focus on are actions to boost our campaign to attract tourists to Samoa,” Fa’amatuainu said.
He told the newspaper that at the moment S.T.A. is enhancing its marketing strategy with overseas flight centers as well as increasing social media presence.
The C.E.O. said the recent losses did not take away from the industry’s performance in the first eleven months of the year.
In that time tourism recorded an increase in revenue of $49 million, of which $20 million was attributable to the Pacific Games in July.
“We are assuring the world that Samoa is a safe destination as measles has subsided,” emphazised Faamatuainu.
Photo: Samoa Tourism Authority
