After COVID, ASVB focuses on domestic and sustainable tourism plans

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Performance Audit of the American Samoa Visitors Bureau by the Territorial Audit Office for three fiscal years ending Sept. 30, 2022, provided an inside summary of the work by the Bureau and the impact of the local tourism industry in the midst of COVID-19.

According to the TAO report, the primary objectives of the Bureau are to expand, develop, and strengthen the local tourism and hospitality industry, as well as to increase awareness of the economic benefits that the travel, tourism, and hospitality sector can bring to our territory.

The Bureau also plays a crucial role in preserving our culture and traditions through the activities and initiatives it undertakes. And the Bureau had collaborated and hosted a number of calendar activities as part of its core activities including coordinated arrival of cruise ships into the territory; and promoting American Samoa overseas through collaboration with regional and off-island agents and local tourism projects, such as “Spotlight On” with the Department of Commerce and KVZK as a means of attracting future tourists and more.

The Bureau believes the “Spotlight On” is the only public awareness program that contractually guarantees airing nationwide for public viewers, TAO said.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic and the measles outbreak — which began in late 2019 and into 2020 — have significantly impacted the Bureau's operations, forcing a reevaluation of what tourism means for the community.

“The Bureau has adapted its approach to focus on domestic and sustainable tourism plans, with an emphasis on local product development,” TAO explained. “In response to the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Bureau has increased its use of social media and other online marketing tools to promote tourism in the territory and abroad.”

TAO points out that the Bureau plays an important role in the preservation of the Samoan culture and heritage, environment, cultural sites, locations, artifacts, oral traditions, and festive arts.

TAO cited in its report, statistical data from the World Tourism Organization (WorldData.info) and it shows that American Samoa recorded a total of 900 tourists in 2020, ranking 203rd  in the world in the number of tourists.

By putting the tourist numbers in relation to the population of American Samoa, TAO noted that the territory had 0.020 tourists per resident, placing American Samoa 171st in the world and 5th in Polynesia. The same data shows tourism dropped substantially after COVID-19 from 2,015 to 2,019, when the number of tourists averaged approximately 20,000 visitors annually.

The Bureau — like other ASG entities — releases its quarterly performance reports which highlights progress of specific projects and events such as:

•  In FY2019-2020, 23 cruise ships were scheduled to arrive, however only 6 cruise ships arrived. The decline in the cruise ship business greatly affected the tourism industry such as local tour operators, transportation business services, hotels, and restaurants.

• Most of off-island marketing and promotional activities were cancelled and put on hold and the tourism industry faced challenges for future development and potential travelers. Cruise ships continued to cancel and efforts were shifted to local products development.

“This was a direct result of the measles pandemic in the later part of 2019 and the COVID-19 in 2020, which significantly affected tourism in American Samoa,” said TAO.

According to TAO, “FY 2021 was also riddled with challenges given the continued impact of the COVID-19, however, the Bureau had several accomplishments” including:

• Upgrading media equipment and visiting Manu’a Islands to determine future development

• Surveying and assessing the National Marine Park and creating promotional videos for marketing campaigns and increasing social media coverage by 48% (Facebook), 600% (Instagram) and 765% (YouTube); this is an online visibility for entries for potential future promotions. The Bureau continued networking with the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) on regional tourism development efforts.

And the first quarter of 2022 saw additional changes as the Bureau ended its contract with an independent contractor, which managed the Bureau’s website and email system for 13 years. This service is now managed internally as a measure to lower costs and provide a quicker turnaround on web content updates.

Another change included the re-launching of the Bureau’s new interface site, rebranding homepage, and adding important COVID-19 travel information and updates.

The Bureau sends out a monthly electronic newsletter globally to subscribers throughout Europe, America, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These subscribers include airlines, travel wholesalers and retailers, international consumer and travel media and the general public. The newsletter gives an update on American Samoa tourism industry news and local events.

On the issue of Bureau staffing, TAO reports that the Bureau has eight active employees, which consist of the Executive Director, Deputy Director, Marketing & Media Manager, IT & Media Specialist, Local Product Development Coordinator, Executive Assistant, Administrative Assistant, and the reigning Miss American Samoa.