The Samoan Government has announced it will be reopening its border to international travellers from August/September later this year. Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has confirmed the country will welcome arrivals of Samoan citizens and foreign contractors from May, and allow travellers into the country from August/September, subject to Samoa’s vaccination progress and the removal of restrictions to facilitate quarantine-free travel.
The pandemic has had a huge impact on Samoa’s travel and tourism industry since its border closed in March 2020. The country is eager to receive travellers who will aid in the island’s economic recovery after two years of pandemic-related challenges.
The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) has been busily working hard behind the scenes with local operators and national bodies, to ensure the Pacific nation is ready for the influx of travellers in the coming months.
A series of developments and new processes have been actioned to make Samoa travel ready, ensuring that the health and safety of locals and international travellers is of the utmost priority. Samoa’s robust preparations include its own version of the digital tracing app, upskilling for local employees, upgraded travel instructions and bolstered testing capabilities.
Samoa Tourism Authority’s acting CEO, Dwayne Bentley, is excited to get Samoa back on the radar as a must-see destination, particularly as worldwide travel restrictions continue to ease and consumer confidence grows.
“As international travel begins to take shape again, Samoa has been striving to ensure critical components of our travel-ready toolkit are in place. All of these efforts ensure we are in a top position to safely open borders to travellers,” he said.
“We look forward to welcoming visitors with open arms later this year, and we encourage travellers to experience Samoa’s untouched beauty, unique cultural experiences, rich heritage and friendly locals for themselves.”
With Samoa less than a four hour flight from New Zealand and under six hours from Australia’s east coast, the journey into paradise is a short one that can be enjoyed by singles, couples, families and diaspora.