Locals make the difference

By Anina Kazaz 27 April 2018, 12:00AM

Darry Williams and Kirsten Beck from Hamilton, New Zealand, love their first time trip to Samoa. 

They shared with Dear Tourist Samoa that it was an easy decision to escape the busy life back home. Being first timers to the Pacific region, Samoa’s laid back and relaxing atmosphere fitted perfectly with their getaway plans. 

 “We thought it looks like a good place to enjoy nature and not a lot of people come here,” Darry said.

Samoa is not advertised as much in New Zealand like Fiji and Rarotonga, but for them they never regretted their decision.

“We really like it here, especially the people are really friendly,” they shared. 

“Wherever we went, we just met open and helpful people.

“We rented scooters over here and went around the island. We went down the roads and saw a lot of stuff. We have been to the Toasua Ocean Trench, the cave pools and went along the coast.

“The highlight I would say are the locals on the island, they are so friendly, the pools and the trench were amazing too. The water was just so crystal clear like we’ve never seen before.”

They left for their homeland yesterday and gave their opinion on the potential of Samoa’s tourism industry. 

“I think the tourism industry would draw in more dollars when people come often and spread the beauty of Samoa,” Kirsten shared.

“At the moment Samoa is not this popular, especially in New Zealand.”

Darry added: “As it grows, it will improve itself, I would say. I think the tourism industry can be a very good thing for the community. A lot of money comes in with tourists.

“One thing I found difficult are the signs for places. It was one of the hardest things to find the places on maps or even on the internet.

“In the city, the road names are missing, which makes it hard. There are many beautiful spots but it took us ages to find. For example, the cave pools, there was just a little sign on the road, which is not easy to see while driving on the road. 

“I would like to have a little bit more information for tourists.”

Nonetheless, they have promised their return. 

“We’ve talked already of returning to this island. It is a beautiful place to come to relax and explore some new things. I think we had a better impression of the life the locals live. We absolutely enjoyed it,” Kirsten Beck said.

By Anina Kazaz 27 April 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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