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Air Transport study recommends increase in Visitors Bureau budget

While several lawmakers believe the American Samoa Visitors Bureau’s budget is too high — at $900K for 2015 — a federally funded air transport study for American Samoa recommends an increase in the agency’s budget to support tourism development in the territory.

 

During last August’s fiscal year 2015 budget hearings, Senate President Gaoteote Tofau Palaie was among the most vocal lawmakers against the $900,000 allocated to Visitors Bureau’s FY 2015 budget, with its small number of employees and the executive director’s salary at $80,000. Gaoteote and others questioned the need for such a large budget allocation although the Lolo Administration has made clear to the Fono that tourism development is among its priorities.

 

(Samoa News does note that a “deputy director’ was added to ASVB personnel lineup since 2015.)

 

According to the air transport study, conducted by the Washington D.C. based UBM Aviation-ASM or Airport Strategy Marketing Limited, the Visitors Bureau has been promoting the Territory as a destination for tourists from the US and as a side trip for tourists from Australia and New Zealand visiting Samoa.

 

Additionally, it has helped increase the number of cruise ships calling into Pago Pago and has worked on the development and promotion of activities for tourists and cruise ship passengers, although the cruise ships — thus far — have not offered Pago Pago as a port of embarkation or debarkation, it says.

 

“The Visitors Bureau appears to have done well with a limited budget, which should be reviewed for possible increase,” the study says, adding that meetings at the 2013 Routes conference provided international airline contacts for the Visitors Bureau that could grow into programs like the Air New Zealand add-on packages.

 

The Visitors Bureau has included in its monthly newsletter the American Samoa holiday packages originating from Samoa through Air New Zealand Holidays as well as at least three travel companies based in New Zealand.

 

According to the study, at the World Routes Forum in October 2013, UBM Aviation-ASM introduced Visitors Bureau to Virgin Australia, which could sell American Samoa tours via its Virgin Samoa services in Apia.

 

Earlier, the Visitors Bureau was also introduced to Hawaiian Airlines for development of tour packages.

 

“These programs have the advantage of gradual development that is manageable for the limited tourism infrastructure of the Territory,” the study says.

 

Last month, Visitors Bureau teamed up with Hawaiian Airlines to promote and sell American Samoa as a visitor destination at two travel and trade shows in California, at San Diego and Long Beach, where Hawaiian offered discounted e-coupons for travel to/from American Samoa and the U.S. mainland.

 

The study recommends reviewing the budget for Visitors Bureau and to consider increasing it, recognizing that tourism infrastructure in the Territory is limited. Among the benefits from such an increase, the study says, is that ASG’s goal of increasing tourism is promoted by the efforts of the Visitors Bureau with a small staff and budget.

 

In the ASG budget cycle, the Visitors Bureau “should submit detailed plans for expanding activity and cost-effective uses for increased budget authority,” the study suggested.

 

Whether the government will increase the Visitors Bureau for the new fiscal year 2016 will not be known until the budget is submitted later this year to the Fono for review.