A 33-year-old Argentinian tourist has recommended Samoa improve its marketing abroad in order to boost the tourism industry. 

Pablo Floyd, who is currently on vacation in Samoa, told the Samoa Observer that he had no idea that Samoa existed prior to his New Zealand visit. 

“I was travelling in New Zealand for 10 months and one of my friends recommended that I should visit Samoa, but I had never heard of Samoa before.”

“I decided to try out a new destination and here I am on a beautiful island. I think Samoa needs to improve its marketing and publicity of its beautiful islands,” he said.

Mr. Floyd said he has heard a lot about Fiji but not Samoa, and it explains why a lot of people around the world have not heard of the country. 

His adventure in Samoa has included a stay in a traditional Samoan house at Lepa.

“I enjoyed Samoa’s beaches but the weather was a bit rough, thankfully the rain stopped, and I had the chance to go for a walk and had a good swim in the ocean. Samoa is quite different because of its people, they are so kind and helpful to assist in any way they can to tourists.”

For traditional Samoan delicacies, he ranks palusami – coconut cream wrapped in taro leaves – up there with the best. And the local beer is not far behind, he added.  

Mr. Floyd also found the Samoan traditional tattoo and its intricate process amazing.

“I was amazed by the traditional Samoan tattoos and the meaning behind it. In my own perspective, culture needs to be preserved for future generations because most countries have lost their very own cultures,” he said. 

According to Mr. Floyd, Samoa will remain on his bucket list for a return visit and this time he plans to visit Savai’i.

“I would definitely want to come back and travel to other islands of Samoa like Savaii. I was not able to visit due to the bad weather and they cancelled services between the two islands. I am only in Samoa for six days and I leave tomorrow (today).”

And while the Argentinian tourist had a ball over the last six days in Samoa, he hopes local tourism authorities will put up more street signs to assist visitors. 

“I had the chance to walk around Apia, but it would be nice to have more signs to indicate directions, which would help tourists have a fair understanding of what they should do instead of getting lost,” he added.