American Samoa Visitors Bureau’s airline departure survey of visitors to the territory will be launched next month for six months, to among other things, determine how much contribution tourism makes to the local economy that for many decades has depended solely on the canned tuna industry.

And for the first time, American Samoa will be showcased at a travel and trade show this week in the United Kingdom — Great Britain.

VISITORS SURVEY

Visitors Bureau executive director David Vaeafe first revealed the visitor survey, funded by the South Pacific Tourism Organization, where American Samoa is a founding member, during the agency’s fiscal year 2017 budget hearings two months ago.

Vaeafe later told Samoa News they were looking to launch the six-month survey later this year and “we will employ enumerators to conduct the survey” which will be managed by Visitors Bureau.

The specific time frame of the first-ever type of survey for the territory, was revealed early this week in an advertisement published in Samoa News recruiting part time enumerators for six months. According to the Visitors Bureau, the enumerators will collect statistical data on airline travelers visiting American Samoa. The six-month project will commence on Dec. 1, 2016 and runs through May 31, 2017.

Enumerators will be stationed at the Pago Pago International Airport to capture data from travelers as they depart the territory. The survey will cover departing flights for Talofa Airways, Polynesian Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. A two-day comprehensive training will be held prior to the start of the survey. (See yesterday’s Samoa News for details of the advertisement.)

Vaeafe told Samoa News in September that American Samoa has never had such a survey so the outcomes from this will get valuable data. For example, “purpose of visit, where they stayed, what activities they did, how much did they spend, which will give a value of the contribution tourism makes to the economy,” Vaeafe told Samoa News last Friday.

“As well as the… data it will also allow us from the comments made to fine tune existing products and services and also identify areas we can develop further or create,” he said when asked about the importance of the survey to American Samoa and the tourism industry.

The Visitors Bureau hopes to later secure further funding for a cruise ship passenger survey from the South Pacific Tourism Organization.

UK SHOWCASES AM SAMOA FOR THE FIRST TIME

Meanwhile, the Visitors Bureau says American Samoa will for the first time be showcased in the United Kingdom (or Great Britain) on the South Pacific Tourism Organization Roadshow, which will hold two travel trade events — Nov.2 in London and Nov. 3 in Kent.

Invited British travel trade attendees include product managers, wholesalers, travel agents and trade and consumer media. Other Pacific Islands destinations showcased are Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji.

CRUISE SHIPS

In other travel news, the Visitors Bureau confirmed yesterday the Princess Cruises cruise ship Crown Princess is calling into the Port of Pago Pago today for a one-day visit arriving at 10a.m. from Lahaina, Hawai’i and departing at 6p.m for Apia, Samoa.

The cruise ship, with more than 4,000 passengers and crew, is on a 28-night return cruise from Los Angeles, California.

The last cruise ship for American Samoa in 2016 is the Costa Atlantica — on its maiden sail to Pago Pago — arriving next month and this is a charter cruise, sailing from China, carrying just over 3,000 passengers and crew.