Tourism Minister Toeolesuluuslu Cedric Schuster has explained the rationale behind the budget cut for the sector proposed in the Government's Appropriation Budget 2023/2024. 

In response to questions raised by Members of the Legislative Assembly this week on the budget, Toeolesuluuslu said they've tapped into other avenues to further develop the sector. 

"It's not what you have but how you use it," the Minister said, before pointing out how close to 120,000 people have visited the country since the reopening of Samoa's borders over the last 10 months. This, in his view, is a testament to the successful advertising strategies undertaken by the Samoa Tourism Authority (S.T.A.) in the last couple of months. 

He also informed the House that about 90 per cent of all the hoteliers and private businesses in the sector are now back in business and slowly recovering from the impact of the border closures and lockdowns. He also confirmed that a lot of employees who were let go during lockdowns have been hired back by the different hotels across the country. 

However, the Satupa'itea M.P. and former cabinet minister, Lautafi Selafi Purcell interceded and said he was not satisfied with the explanation from the Minister. 

"I disagree with what you said," said Lautafi. "It's always better to have enough. I raised the issue because I thought the Government would invest more in this sector as it is one of our main sources of income. 

"I see that a total of $9 million tala was allocated for the development of the sector in the last budget but that has dropped down to $7 million tala. 

"This means that it has been decreased by almost $2 million. But we need to ensure that the sector is stabilised especially when we are hosting a lot of international meetings next year."

In response, Toeolesulusulu clarified that there has been an increase in terms of financial assistance from the Government of Australia through the Tautai programme, as well as assistance from the Government of New Zealand to improve tourist attractions and beautifying villages. 

"There's also some leftover funds that will be put into good use to further develop the sector. Nevertheless, as mentioned before, there are also funds allocated for preparations for the Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting (C.H.O.G.M.) [$20 million tala]. 

"Parts of that allocated fund will go towards improving accommodations and hotels in the country. We are looking at all the different avenues where we can promote tourism and encourage more people to visit our country."

In saying that, Toeolesulusulu said sports tourism is another avenue they are looking at to bring more tourists and people to Samoa. He said there will be a World Outrigger tournament in August of this year which will bring in different teams from close to 30 different countries. 

He also made reference to the Pacific Nation Cup (P.N.C.) rugby tournament that Samoa will play host to this year. 

Toeolesulusulu also referred to the Motherland concert that was held in Samoa earlier this month that brought close to 10,000 people together. 

"So those are all the avenues the Authority is looking into to further promote and develop the sector."

He was also challenged by the M.P. for Satupa'itea to provide accurate data on how many tourists – aside from the Samoans returning to the country to visit their relatives – have visited Samoa since the borders re-opening. 

Toeolesulusulu then agreed with Lautafi saying that the desegregation of the types of tourists and incoming passengers to Samoa has been a real challenge. 

But he assured the House that they are working on a strategy so they will be able to identify the real tourists and the type of tourists who have been visiting Samoa and their interests.