“Samoa has a nice vibe and everyone’s friendly”

By Talaia Mika 03 January 2019, 12:00AM

The word of mouth can be a powerful marketing tool and for Samoa there are plenty, thanks to hundreds of Samoans who live outside the country.

Sydney-based Sonali Sharma, 24 — who is a first time visitor to the country — said she learnt of Samoa from her Samoan friends back in Sydney, Australia.

And being totally clueless on what to expect and experience in Samoa, she flew in with an open mind and eager to learn more about the country. 

“It’s a nice vibe I feel and everyone’s nice and friendly, they’re all very inclusive and welcoming.”

“In Australia, people aren’t as nice and here everyone’s really nice and they’re good people,” she said.

Samoa was just a random destination, Ms. Sharma added, while revealing that it has been an interesting two days since her arrival.

Ms. Sharma is staying at the Taumeasina Island Resort until Sunday when she flies back to Sydney. And it has never been a dull moment since she moved in, having witnessed some of Samoa’s cultural practices first hand.

“I’ve seen some Samoan dances and it was really good and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”

“The Samoan male dancers were pretty attractive and that probably explains why I’m here,” she said, before making reference to the dance tempo and how it felt like the floor was shaking. 

More traditional experiences await, she said: “We will be driving down to the Samoa Tourism Authority later on, and hopefully we’ll learn some more about Samoa over there.”

“I also haven’t tried any Samoan food but hopefully I’ll try some tonight like the palusami and the other beautiful Samoan food.”

Ms. Sharma works at the technology company IBM in Australia, and hopes to return to Samoa as she is of the view that her vacation is one of the best.

By Talaia Mika 03 January 2019, 12:00AM
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