With all the big talk about tourism this and tourism that, it is hard not to get carried away by all the good things it promises for Samoa.
The facts are there already it is difficult for anyone not to be excited about the economic prospects tourism holds, for boosting the development of our national economy.
Three or four decades ago in Apia, white skinned visitors walking the streets of Apia, was a rare sight, a novelty really.
Kids would stare and point them out as if the palagis were visible only to their eyes.
Soon enough a shouting chant goes up….vaai ile palagi..palagi..palagi..palagi.
Before long the meaning of the term sinks in to the visitors, and probably with some relief, that palagi is not some kind of insult or mockery against colour or race.
They would also be enlightened at the origins of the term, and of the awe of being held as a person who ‘busted’ the sky or ‘exploded’ the heavens to get to Samoa.
The rendering of the palagi-made hole in the sky has stayed open over the ensuing years, and what was at first a trickle of ‘sky busters’ has now turned into a steady stream that seems to grow bigger every year.
The influx has reached the stage now where the kids chant is replaced by a passing glance or a simple friendly smile, that the tourists find so endearing. It is an innocent gesture of warmth that has become a rarity in their more populated societies where a
person is only a number or a blur in a fast moving life style.
More recently in Samoa, friendliness is not the only cause for Samoans to smile at our traveling guests. The economic benefits of money spending tourists are widening the happy faces of many in the local tourism industry and a wide cross section of related services.
The biggest attraction Samoa holds for the tourists are the people and the culture, according to those who are in the know about the interests of most of our visitors.
It is no wonder the beach fale concept is now a popular tourist attraction.
Spending the night in a Samoan hut next to the beach as the sand is caressed by enquiring wavelets, and the fresh sea breeze breathing natural health into the lungs, is a dream fantasy to brag about back home.
Add the lovely suntan the palagis crave from the hot Samoan sun and the envy of family members and friends who stayed home, is serious enough to thirst for the exotic islands.t
As many of us have surmised in conversations with the palagis, it is easier for them to save up for a vacation trip. Better paying jobs or the added benefits of taking up a second job makes it all possible .
Most of us locals will course wish we were allowed to do the same for ourselves.
Unfortunately, it seems like everytime you start putting aside some money, a family member died, or is bestowed a chiefly title or a new church is being dedicated or whatever.
When that happens, you can kiss you savings bye bye.
In fact for some of us, not only do you get to clean out your bank account, but you suddenly find yourself in debt after taking out a loan to meet your cultural obligations.
In the end we relegate our ambitions for the exotic to the part of playing hosts to our visiting guests.
Hopefully there will eventually be a time, in this lifetime at least, when tourism develops to where it generates enough earnings to ease the financial burden from our personal cultural obligations.
The growing demands for beach fale tourism is a direct way for tourism revenues to be injected directly into the village economy.
Hopefully this will spread across the unemployed members of the extended family to ease the burden on the salary earners in Apia.
Attracting the tourists as we all know, to spend their money on our village beaches, is more than just erecting a row of huts along the beach front.
Take a drive for example to Paradise Beach at Lefaga today or tomorrow and once you turn off the main road, brace youself for a long bumpy ride along the unsealed access road.
The path takes you inside the village and what you see are several large empty houses with badly rusted roofing iron, that appears to be on the verge of collapsing at the touch of a hand.
If it is a Sunday, you will suddenly find the way blocked by a row of lava stones across the road, You look around for a notice board or something to let you know what is going on and there is nothing.
All this time also as you crawled your way across the length of the village, not one person came up and say anything about what is happening at Paradise Beach.
So it is back to the bumps and the rattles of the return to the main road. Further down once you are back onto the main road is the Matareva Beach.
After the ‘paradise’ reception, the spirit lifts to see several old men sitting in their little tin hut at the entry to the road that will take you to the village beach.
They greet you with their $10 or $20 tala smiles, depending on the type of car you drive, and there is nothing wrong with that.
What suddenly rips the smile off your face after the show of courtesy and warmth of welcome, is the first sight to greet your eyes when you turn in.
Right there alongside the road, on your left, is a tin outhouse.
Just how would a tourist, in Samoa to fulfill a fantasy dream, react to that, you wonder? Would he be thinking, “Is this what I have worked hard and saved for all this time?”
First impressions are always important and to see this sight first up would probably set in motion a run of thoughts that hopefully our paying overseas guests will overlook and not complain about it to the folks at home.
As for the rest of what the tourism industry will need to look at seriously, that is better left up to them to work on. It would help if you contribute in any way positive, either as a member of the village or a salary earning son or daughter of the village, living in Apia.
Must Samoa changer everything to make the tourists happy????? Let them see the real samoa,all of it,the poor roads the poor fales,the bumpy roads,that is also a reality in Samoa is it not???I'm sure that is considered part of the adventure and different way of life that Tourists want toexperience away from the rat race..They want to experience something different from their ordinary lifestyles,it could be seen as the simplicity of life.I don't think Samoa needs those knid of tourists who would look down on the realities of Samoan living,those tin houses could be historic so could the roads!who knows!! Instead of upgrading for the tourists how about upgrading for the villagers and the people of samoa,to make their lives more convenient after all when the tourists go back to their own homes it's the locals that are left to live as they do with those bumpy roads and big old rusted houses. Maybe just for the tourists the industry could upgrade their tourists maps that should do it aeh! maybe add in that there'll be abit of a journey to get to their destination...Just my opinion anyway....
AUTHORS NOTE : So by your reckoning Samoa should remain in the cave age so the tourists can have an adventure? Are Samoans not good enough for a flush toilet inside the privacy of the home rather than out in the open where everyone can see, or is that the kind of adventure you want for the tourists? Where do you think the villages should look to fund the upgrade you're referring to? Remittances AND tourism are the main revenue earners for Samoa,how can you expect to meet the development needs of the villages if you don't promote tourism? There are merits in your argument but if you weigh that up against the realities of life in Samoa, it is shortsighted and frightfully condescending. Samoans deserve better than what you are suggesting and they are working hard for it too.
Frozen memories....will they remain so, or thaw!!! written by JJ,
July 05, 2008
Very interesting article. I am going to revisit this one and serve my opinion in due time after my planned visit to Samoa in mid-July. Having grown up in Samoa all my childhood and half of my teens in the 60's and 70's, and being away from Samoa for some 30 years now, I am looking forward to my visit to a place I still refer to as home and Paradise. I have fond memories of the 60's and 70's and the lifestyle and culture I endured while living and growing up back then. Those memories and snapshots (more like snippets now) of the paradise island are still frozen in my mind, and I am not quite sure what to expect when I land at Faleolo, and what I will experience during the ensuing week of my trip back home with my family. I will be counting on the honest feedback from my family, whom have never been to Samoa, let alone experience such a unique cuture or the fa'asamoa. They only have the stories that I have shared with them all these years, so one can only imagine what they are going to say...Stay tuned....Tofa Soifua!!
power 2 the people of samoa and to menty mental me written by meah,
July 05, 2008
Hey Mentz!
I don't know where you come from but I suggest you leave your comments to yourself.You sound like a baby who was just born yesterday.All countries around the world are moving forward and some are improving their standards of living all because of good governance and also tourism.As a Samoan I would do anything to make tourists happy because that is important, giving them quality of services they want would likely to increase our revenue.Alu e visit si kou aiga then you'll know what I mean about people moving forward.
Paradise memories written by ses,
July 08, 2008
Wow meah, that's quite harsh. JJ, most of us have treasured memories of growing up in Paradise and as for myself, I continued to revist those memories when missing home. Yes, our Samoan Paradise continues to develop for the best and so are the living standards for most families. It's all good. My only suggestion JJ is to embrace the beautiful changes of Paradise, enjoy every moment while there, creat more snapshots of Paradise and love on family members and just be happy. Don't waste time and money travelling with a whole lot of questions. Plan on having a good old time and remember, every dollar spent in Paradise is already your contribution to Samoa's growth for betterment and the future generations. JJ, have a strip and enjoy Paradise once again......
FAIAI MA LE ATIGIPOO written by ka..SOUTHKALI,
July 11, 2008
Like Bob Marley says.Don't worry,everythings is gonna be alright people.Just hold on to your roots..No matter where you go..THESE WHITE MAN JUST COME AND GO.Nobody will help you but youself and those who really really love you.So why bother?Show your skin.Express yourself and be real.I stand and be proud of who am I..Ola ae i le olaga pologa o le fai popo,tau koko ma fai maumaga i Samoa.A o lenei ua nofo ma faigaluega i Kalifonia..Life is ok up in here but not like back home man..home sweet home of Samoa...Peace Out!!!
We can have Both, Culture and Progress! written by Both,
July 11, 2008
make the tourist welcome, allow yourself to be vunerable no white man this century has killed us or any man for that matter have faith that Samoa can get better for everything
i. medical services for our people ii. better paying jobs iii. stable government iv. future for everyone (we don't have to leave the place we love the most, Samoa)
If, we had these choices, would we have left the bones of our grandfathers and grandmother unattended?
Is it better to leave Samoa for far off lands, or is it better to get the best of both worlds in our own homes I choose the later, I have lost more time wondering if the bones of my grandfather spoke one night and no one was home---
Long Live Samoa
Let's not let our beautiful Samoa be totally comme written by Pulili,
July 12, 2008
I agree with Both, However all things must be done in moderation. Yes we should encourage and support all measures that would better the quality of life of Samoans in Samoa especially if it will make for better opportunities for our people living in Samoa so they would not have go overseas to support their families back home. But is tourism the answer? We should stop and consider the following.
However, with change there is always risks and losses. The ecosystem and natural habitat will definitely change because more of our natural land mass is being developed on with commercial buildings. When this happens you attract more visitors therefore creating more traffic/congestion which in times past was more peaceful, serene and breath taking natural habitat and scenaries has been changed to monumental buildings being occupied by foreigners from all ends of the earth who just want to take a glimpse of how simple life is in Samoa. We are in the mellenium and the people of Samoa are still living in tin roofed homes and out houses! Nothing is simple about living in Samoa those days are long gone! LIVING IN SAMOA is hard. You have only 2 classes in Samoa the rich and previleged and there is the poor. The poor unfortunately rely on the faasamoa village life to maintain their living to survive because the faasamoa was made to serve the whole community. Can you imagine if this faasamoa/matai system was no longer in practice and everyone was for themselves? Our people would suffer far more I believe! Because the Samoan government ...that's another issue LOLLLLLLL
China is going to exploit Samoa as a tourist hotspot as what the U.S. did with Hawaii so much so that it became the last state! Let's also be real about it. This is our reality the bigwigs who fund the project is also looking for major profits from it. Trust me the Samoan locals who seek employment at these major hotels will not only be working their a$$es off but will be getting a wage similar to those who worked at Starkist if not less then that. So what benefit would that be for us? I say demand better wages and benefit packages according to Samoa's current cost of living and include annual inflation rates. The people of Samoa cannot support their households and earn a decent living at minimum wage earnings. We deserve better! Do NOT SETTLE FOR LESS. Make these people earn our lands because they want to exploit our beautiful Samoa to make a profit for themselves. Because truth is they will be making millions while the locals get the minimum!!!!
Perfect example, is Hawaii. Oahu is commecialized to whereas the beachfront is literally lined up with Lord knows how many hotels. Furthermore, on Maui it is not so commercializes where they actually preserved and sectioned off most of its natural rainforests and but a few resorts reside in this island. Most tourists want to visit Maui instead of Oahu. Let us not be raped like Hawaii was!
Let's not let our beautiful Samoa be totally commercialized and raped as they did Hawai'i and Tahiti!
God bless Samoa!
For Sure--- written by Again, Regulate----,
July 12, 2008
hardest thing to do is describe the second hardest thing to do is ascribe
we like our cake and eat it to, we better learn from other island nations about mistakes to compromises the next generation should do fairly well with the the road map to progress
... written by Dee,
July 13, 2008
I agree with Pulili the world is changing dramatically and has been for the last century, The race for wealth is evident throughout the corporate world and it is greed that motivates this race. Samoa is by no means immune to the worlds antics however there is something that protects the spirit of Samoa and her people and that's AGA NUU.
I am one for progress being a capitalist/opportunist myself,but my culture, bood and loyalty runs deeper than any ideals instilled in me by the western world. Samoa must maintain the ways of old but be open to the new. Samoa should not be so naive to those who want to monopolise our beautiful Island. These people may look friendlier than those who greeted our Hawaiian counterparts over 100 years ago but it can be assured that they're intentions are just as derisive.
Let the 'Bayonet constitution' remind us how a culture can be easily stolen with the signing of a piece of paper and ink.
God governs our land GOD BLESS!!
Calm down Meah! written by Mentz,
July 15, 2008
Where I came from is where you come from SAMOA! Let's not get all personal up in here ,if you've misinterpreted my first comment please let me clarify,all I 'm saying is that we shouldn't be changing things in Samoa so tourists can have a better holiday but change things so Samoans can have a better life! Please name one country or island who has improved their standard of living due to tourism and good governance did you say without negative impacts?On the front yes it may seem all good but behind the scenes the real people of those nations become more divided into 2 catergories those who can afford and those who get pushed under the poverty line, I just don't want Samoa to become another India where there are Shantytowns on the outskirts of the Big cities,or Rio De Janeiro where it's a popular Tourist destination but you have beggars and homeless people living in the same area yet Tourists and officials CHOOSE to ignore them.China with it's pollution etc... Yes there are huge benefits in Tourism and that for the locals but there are also huge risks involved like the eco system for one,the more tourists the more buildings you got to put up,the more clearing of lands and forestry to provide,more cars on the roads the more pollution in the air in the waters, progress is good,change is inevitable but it's HOW you go about it that will make the difference ,who will be effected in the long run?and for better or worse? Would you give tourists free access to build hotels on your ancestors lands in Samoa to increase revenues?If better quality for Tourists meant making new roads smack in the middle of your village for easier access to popular tourist destinations would that be okay because it would supposingly provide more work for samoans temporarily and bring more tourists through and make more revenue as a whole for the country?? It may seem far fetched but it is not impossible?I guess what I'm trying to say dear Meah is how far are you willing to go to keep the tourists happy? One more thing Meah please keep my Aiga out of future comments,if any one is sounding immature it is you who feels the need to retaliate with personal remarks and comments in order to put forth your point of views!
In regards to Authors Note: To my reckoning Samoans shouldn't have to bow down to the needs of outsiders(Tourists) just to get a quick buck or have to depend on them for a decent living. Samoans do deserve to have flushed toilets in the privacy of their own homes BUT Long Johns as are the toilets that are common in Samoa called are much more ecologically friendly and environmentally safer than flushed toilets so it comes down to personal choice,most have long johns because it's more affordable but they are much more better than flushed toilets anyway better for our earth.... If my comments sound short sighted and condescending then I do apologise,I was trying to be sarcastic! I was responding to the article,it never said anything about making the roads better for tourists so in turn the locals would benefit too,it never said upgrade the tin houses so tourists would find them attractive and local villagers would have decent shelter over their heads?In fact it stated "They greet you with $10 $20 tala smiles depending on what car you drive" I assume you speak about the locals,don't you think that sounds a tad bit condescending towards samoans?you make it sound like samoans are devious.hence why my first comment was quite sarcastic towards tourists you portrayed in your article!! I don't think samoans live in the cave ages,you suggested that not me what I was trying to say is that there are other ways other than tourism exploitation where samoans can once again become self sufficient and self reliant and yet still be able to move with the times with the rest of the world,although the tourist industry is booming let's not let it go overboard in the sense that it takes over the locals way of life,way of living,way of tradition and customs, maybe there is way where both can be intergrated together,just not at the expense of samoans and the land of Samoa. Like Pulili said in one of the above comments and I quote"Let's not let our beautiful Samoa be totally commercialized and raped as they did Hawai'i and Tahiti! " end quote.
Mentz you make alot of sense! written by Pulili,
July 17, 2008
I understand your sentiments because I feel the same as you do! Upgrade and develop for Samoa and not necessarily because of tourists. How accomodating does Samoa and our people have to be?
That's like saying Let's clean up our house because we have visitors coming over! Why not just make it a common practice to keep your living quarters emmaculate for hygene sake and not so much as for presentation.
Samoa don't short change yourself! Samoa is a gold mine for tourism but let's not let the foreigners dupe is out of a fair handshake of the profits they will be making. We need to be visible and our presence need to be on every board of these hotel establishments as well as managing these hotels not just at the domestic/janitorial capacity! Samoa's property value will shoot the roof within the next 10 years. Therefore, Samoa we have the upper hand in this. The elite want more variety in vacation spots a paradise to escape to from the rat race, then guess what Samoa our lands don't come cheap tell these foreigners to cough up some REAL MONEY not $200 an acre per year!!!! This is where we come to the table with our needs. They want a resort with all the bells and whistles well sure no problem sir but can they also build a state of the art school facilities for the children of all ages YES PRIMARY, SECONDARY, HIGH SCHOOL, COMMUNITY COLLEGE and UNIVERSITY of this village? Because they will be the future managers of these great resorts some day! They must be well educated!
What is so sad is that these fancy resorts will be built and our schools, churches and residences still look like reminants from back in the late 1800s to mid 1970's and it is 2008! It's 2008 Samoa should have a stake in the tourism industry too and we should be well represented by our own. I'm sorry but no one is going to look after Samoa like we would our own. Samoa becareful with China always go in with eyes wide open.
SAMOA NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOURS! LOOK OUT FOR OUR INTERESTS! TO THOSE WHO ARE IN POSITIONS TO DO SO MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR US! DON'T BE FEARFUL TO MAKE DEMANDS TO THESE HOTSHOTS! TAKE A STAND AND MAKE THEM PAY UP!
Frozen memories....will they remain so, or thaw!!! written by JJ,
August 28, 2008
Well, my family and I are back in Canada and as promised in my earlier comment (July 05, same title), I will serve my opinion of Samoa after our visit. The licence plate says it all "Le Penina o le Pasifika". I can't think of another place in this world that I would rather settle down in....as a matter of fact, I have decided that I will retire in Samoa and give back to the community and to the country that put me where I am today. I now fully understand why the Tusitala himself decided to settle in Samoa..it's all about the people and the culture. Samoa is blessed with beauty all around...but even more important, Samoa has the culture (the fa'aSamoa) and the people that live, breathe, believe in and sustain this culture everyday. Let's preserve this fa'aSamoa for our children and our future generations as without this, there will be no Samoa.
I am not going to dwell anymore on this subject. I encourage all Samoans to go back for a visit and enjoy the beauty and tranquility and live the culture. Tofa Soifua!!!!!
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Let them see the real samoa,all of it,the poor roads the poor fales,the bumpy roads,that is also a reality in Samoa is it not???I'm sure that is considered part of the adventure and different way of life that Tourists want toexperience away from the rat race..They want to experience something different from their ordinary lifestyles,it could be seen as the simplicity of life.I don't think Samoa needs those knid of tourists who would look down on the realities of Samoan living,those tin houses could be historic so could the roads!who knows!!
Instead of upgrading for the tourists how about upgrading for the villagers and the people of samoa,to make their lives more convenient after all when the tourists go back to their own homes it's the locals that are left to live as they do with those bumpy roads and big old rusted houses.
Maybe just for the tourists the industry could upgrade their tourists maps that should do it aeh!
AUTHORS NOTE : So by your reckoning Samoa should remain in the cave age so the tourists can have an adventure? Are Samoans not good enough for a flush toilet inside the privacy of the home rather than out in the open where everyone can see, or is that the kind of adventure you want for the tourists?
Where do you think the villages should look to fund the upgrade you're referring to? Remittances AND tourism are the main revenue earners for Samoa,how can you expect to meet the development needs of the villages if you don't promote tourism?
There are merits in your argument but if you weigh that up against the realities of life in Samoa, it is shortsighted and frightfully condescending. Samoans deserve better than what you are suggesting and they are working hard for it too.