Tourism Product Development : “Linking agriculture: enhancing visitor experience”

Samoa Agritourism Policy Setting Forum

TATTE Conference Centre, December 14th – 16th 2016

Faamatuainu Lenata’i SuifuaACEO – Planning & Development

Outline• Introduction

• Vision

• Planning & Development Division – Responsibilities/Development & compliance

• Samoa Tourism Product?

• International Visitor Survey 12-13

• Stock and potential

• Initiatives

• Challenges

• Way forward

Introduction

By 2019 Samoa will have a growing tourism sector, which engages our visitors and people and is recognized as the leading Pacific destination for sustainable tourism’.

VISION

Planning and Development Division• Encourage development of our tourism product;

• Investment Committee; - Duty concession, tax credits.

• Ensuring compliance; standards & licensing;

• Business advisory, product inspection and monitoring;

• Tourism sector training coordination;

• Tourism awareness and Complaints;

• Focal point for all environment, renewable energy & agriculture related projects

• Etc.

Tourism Product?

Samoa International Visitors Survey – 2012-2013

SAMOAValue for money ratings 1 = Poor – 5 = Excellent

Over all visit 4.1

Tours/sightseeing 4.1

Accommodation 4.0

Activities 4.0

Handicrafts 4.0

Food and Beverage 3.9

Shopping 3.8

Car Rentals 3.7

Source: Samoa International Visitor Survey 2012-2013

SUMMARY:

COMMERCIALISED ACCOMMODATIONS:

Accommodations Category # of

Properties

Operating

# Rooms

# Beds

DELUXE 13 712 1171

SUPERIOR STANDARD 14 296 575

STANDARD 33 654 1303

BUDGET 40 470 1046

HOLIDAY HOMES 3 18 25

Total Commercialised Accommodations 103 2150 4120

SPECIALISED ACCOMMODATIONS:

BEACH FALES OVERNIGHT STAY 22 317 859

BEACH FALES DAY VISITS 14 85 0

OCEANVIEW OVERNIGHT STAY 3 10 36

OCEANVIEW DAY VISIT ONLY 3 14 0

RIVER FALES OVERNIGHT STAY 1 7 28

Total Specialised Accommodation 43 433 923

Over All Total 146 2583 5043

Growth of Support Services from

2011 to date:

Support

Service 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Atrraction

Sites 57 57 59 59 60 63

Car Rental 38 25 25 25 30 37

Restaurants /

Cafe 41 51 51 53 60 69

Tour

Operators 23 23 23 21 25 31

Growth of Room Numbers since 2009 to date:

Accommodation Categories

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Percentage

GrowthRoom

sRoom

sRoom

sRoom

s Room

sRoom

sRoom

sRoom

s

Deluxe Category 154 375 475 494 493 360 433 712 362.34

Superior Category 144 170 253 253 248 257 266 296 105.56

Standard Category 331 388 486 494 427 589 696 654 97.58

Budget Category 398 368 406 424 428 489 475 480 20.60

Holiday Homes 0 0 3 10 10 8 18 18 500.00

Beach Fales Overnight 249 210 340 320 256 291 320 323 29.72

Beach Fales Day Visit 138 90 33 53 96 81 84 85 -38.41

Accommodations Not comply with Accommodation

Standards 0 0 113 0 0 0 0 0

Ocean View Fales Overnight 0 0 0 0 0 14 14 14 0.00

Ocean View Fales Day Visit 0 0 0 0 0 14 14 14 0.00

River Fales Overnight Stay 0 0 0 0 0 5 7 7 40.00

Total 1414 1601 2109 2048 1958 2108 2327 2603

Percentage Growth 13.22 31.73 -2.89 -4.39 7.66 10.39 11.86

Percentage Growth 09/16 84.09

Type Property 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16

Deluxe 49.4 58.7 59 60.7 1.7

Superior 54 57.8 57.2 56.8 -0.4

Standard 23.8 25.7 27.7 29.5 1.8

Budget 19.2 22.9 22.1 26.3 4.2

AVG 36.6 41.3 41.5 43.3 1.83

Beach Fales 15.4 14.8 13.7 15.6 1.90

% Change

over 14/15

AVERAGE OCCUPANCY RATES

Occupancy Rates

Attraction sites

Food Tourism in Samoa

• Tourism industry continue to evolve for the past 2 decades;• Travelers for new experiences and environmentalist – organic preferences;• Very health conscious; well being life style; and wants to experience the local culture

when he goes on holiday. • Food is a significant aspect of the tourist’s experience of a destination, driven by

growing trends of authenticity/ originality/ creativity/passionate and the need to have a high-quality experience.

• Support, encourage and promote community vegetable gardens for hotels, beach fales etc.

• Ensure sustainable tourism activities do not adversely impact upon fragile vegetation and wildlife including mangrove and coral reefs

• Ensure reduction of pollution and waste generation

Sustainable Food tourism

Local food;

• tastes better

• better for you

• Local food preserves genetic diversity

• Local food is safe

• Local food supports local families

• Local food builds community

• Local food keeps taxes down

• Local food benefits the environment and wildlife

• is an investment in the future

• Meaai Samoa Cook Book;• SPTO sponsored culinary training;• MOH – Safety guidelines;• APTC Cooking training;• Samoa Culinary Association partnership;• SHA/SSTA/ATA partnership

• Technical Standards Committee

Initiatives….

• Supply chain inconsistency/quality/seasonality;• Limited infrastructure to support grading, storage and

distribution• Limited knowledge/experience/awareness of some

hotels/restaurants cooks

challenges….

Continue to work closely with the Samoa Culinary Association (SCA) and SHA & SSTA

“Contemporary & Authentic Samoa Cuisine”

Support MAF, MWTI, and WIBDI organic farming

Increase use of local food items in menus & ride on the success of Meaai Samoa

Improve link between agriculture, education & tourism ministries

Introduce new tropical fruit & vegetable lines to farmers

Resorts/hotels to adopt a farm

Way Forward

• Tourism excellence awards – January 2017

• Local food utilization related awards to be included and include for the best hotel and 1 for restaurant serving a

minimum 75-80% threshold local food.

• Tourism excellence awards to include a prize for best village farmer supplying resorts fresh produce - MWSCD,MAF &

WIBDI

• MAF to seek overseas counterparts for local farmers to train young women and men in resort land owner villages

• MAF, MESC, SQA, NUS to raise the profile of cooks and farmers in Samoa

Farming of micro greens, sea prawns, tilapia, nama, oysters,

soya beans, garlic, spices, bamboo shoot, baby corn,

mushrooms, coffee, asparagus, berrys, mangosteen, rambutan,

rose apple

Research????

Merry Christmas

&

Lets work harder for a better 2017