NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE AGRITOURISM SECTOR IN THE PACIFIC In the context of the 1st Pacific Week of Agriculture (#PWA2017) Port-Vila, Vanuatu, 18th October, 14h00-17h30 Melanesian Hotel, Room The Melanesian, Port Vila, Vanuatu Organised by the Government of Vanuatu , PIPSO, SPTO, IFAD and CTA Since 2014, CTA, PIPSO and key partners in the Pacific region have been highlighting the potential of tourism markets for local farmers and other value chain actors. A special focus is put into strengthening agritourism at the 1st Pacific Week of Agriculture organised by Vanuatu on 16-20th October 2017. In this context, PIPSO, SPTO, CTA, IFAD and other partners will organise: A focused agritourism workshop to share lessons learned and take stock on progress made in serving tourism markets in selected countries to be held on 18th October (14:00-17:30). A chefs training session. As part of joint SPTO/PIPSO/CTA efforts to promote food tourism in the Pacific region, support Pacific cuisine branding and enhance local chef’s skills in sourcing locally, we will also organise a two day chefs training on 19-20th October 2017.

1. Samoa Progress in Agritourism :
“New Opportunities in the Agritourism
Sector in the Pacific”
Pacific Week of Agriculture
Vanuatu, October 16th – 20th : 2017
Faamatuainu Lenata’i Suifua
Samoa Tourism Authority – on
behalf of the Tourism Sector

2. 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

3. Samoa Tourism Authority
• Mandated –
• To provide for the sustainable
development, promotion and
management of the tourism
sector in Samoa through
effective planning,
administration, regulation, and
for related purposes..

4. Tourism Product?

5. Progress to Date -
• Tourism Agri-Business 2016 (STA, CTA, IFAD, PIPSO, MAF, SCA, WIBDI, Farmers, private
sector – restaurants, cafes); - Feedbacks, coordination, value chains and value added….
• National Agri-tourism Park – Atele;
• Organic Night Markets with WIBDI;
• Teuila festival & Agriculture Show;
• Tourism excellence awards – January 2017;
• Tourism excellence awards to include a prize for best village farmer supplying resorts fresh
produce - MWSCD,MAF & WIBDI;
• Working closely with the tourism sector – SCA, WIBDI, Farmer Association, MAF & SPTO, to
promote utilization of local products;
• 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 – inspection, training and
monitoring.
• Accreditation of long and short term trainings into formal education degree ;
• MAF, MESC, SQA, NUS, SPTO to raise the profile of cooks and farmers in Samoa ;

6. Atele Park – Work in Progress

7. Education and Awareness – 6 Training Modules
1. Enhancing ecotourism business performance (Ecotourism)
The emphasis here is on improving business best practice across all tourism sectors in Samoa – with a
focus on making tourism businesses in Samoa more sustainable and more responsive to the evolving
tourism marketplace. It provides the high level, business specific, knowledge, needed to support moves
towards a yield driven destination.
2. Enhance the web presence of an organization or destination (Digital Marketing)
This module answers the question: How can you make the most of the online resources and
opportunities that enable you to build a marketing presence on the internet? The focus here is not just
on training for industry, communities and special interest groups can also learn the skills needed to
highlight their potential tourism offerings.
3. Create a website using an online content system to meet a set brief (Computing & IT)
This module focuses on creating a basic marketing tool through the use of readily available
technology. Whether trainees want to be able to build a new website, or simply gain a better
understanding of the web, this course will develop basic capabilities in the tourism and hospitality
sectors and increase Samoa’s on-line visibility.

8. Education and Awareness – 6 Training Modules
4. Prepare and serve local food (Food & Beverage)
This training module builds on the growing interest in Samoa and elsewhere in local foods and culinary tourism experiences. The
module also focuses on building stronger links between tourism and the agriculture sector – emphasizing the importance of local
agricultural linkages and the challenges that arise in trying to build and sustain them.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of Samoa as a tourist destination (Customer Service)
Recent tourist expenditure data for Samoa reveals opportunities to increase tourist yield. In order to do so, it is vital to unlock the secret
of the visitor experiences that lies in everyday life and in the nation’s heritage. This module is also about building a greater awareness
of local assets –and facilitating the creation of a ‘sense of place’ for visitors.
6. Samoan Culture and Heritage (Tour Guiding)
Samoa’s future as a tourism destination depends heavily on its ability to both sustain and showcase its culture and heritage. This
involves building awareness among key sectors of the tourism industry. Tour guiding is a vital link in the engagement between tourists
and the surrounding economy. This module is designed to fill this critical gap.