The Covid-19 pandemic which strangled Samoa's tourism sector for close to three years from early 2020 led to the loss of over 2,000 employees.

The impact of the pandemic was highlighted in the Government's Samoa Tourism Sector Plan 2022-2027 which was launched last Friday with the document revealing how employment numbers within the sector tumbled after the country was hit by the measles epidemic mid-2019 followed by the pandemic in early 2020.

But the numbers are beginning to pick up as more visitors enter the country following the opening of Samoa's international borders in August last year.

The Plan reflected on data from a tourism employment survey in 2012, when there were 2,825 employees within the local tourism sector, followed by another survey in 2016 which showed an increased of 36.1 per cent, or a total direct employment of 4,422 employees.

"The increase was mainly driven by the increase in hotel operators including Taumeasina Island Resort as well as the reopening of Sheraton Hotel following the recovery from Cyclone Evan," the Plan stated.

"However, following the measles in 2019 and the impact of Covid-19 in 2020, the recent tourism survey completed in November 2020 indicated a reduction of fully employed people in the sector."

The current status of employment in the tourism sector as of January 2021 points to an overall total of 5,208 employees recorded through 15 various categories in the sector. These include accommodation which employs 3073, food and beverages (1237), airlines (57), travel agents (25), dive operations (14), car rental (213), other transportation (9), tour operators (48), attraction sites (60), handicrafts/gift shops (233), spa (79), museums (45), cinemas (12), internet cafe (8), and other (95).

The tourism sector as well as the Samoa Tourism Authority are working to improve and boost the industry to get it back on track to pre-Covid-19 levels although it is believed that it will take some time.

A mapping key tourism related plans that were developed since the start of the Plan in 2014 indicates the STSP outcomes are well aligned to a wide range of planning tools which were developed during a specific plan period, the Plan stated.

One of the impacted tourism operators and owner of the Saletoga Sands Resort and Spa, Gavin Brightwell, told this newspaper how his company managed to stay open throughout the pandemic period despite their numerous challenges.

He said the company also had to make personal sacrifices during the pandemic in order to continue to pay all their staff. 

"I sold my personal car and even all the rental cars were sold to pay for the employees," Mr. Brightwell said in an earlier interview. 

Saletoga Sands Resort and Spa was one few resorts in Samoa which strived to stay open since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.