The Warwick Samoa Resort should have been open long time ago but because of economical recession and the tsunami disaster the plans have been revised.

Warwick Fiji Resort and Spa

The location of accommodation and other public areas have been relocated to make it safe for any future natural disaster that could happen.

Two step building plan.

The 4-5 star resort will be built in two steps. The first step will include 100 rooms, restaurants and conference facilities. The second step will add another 50-70 rooms to accommodate for up to 400 people.

First guests arriving 2013

If everything works according to the plan, the building will start at the end of 2010 and the first guests should arrive already in 2013. The resort is much hoping for a good cooperation with the Samoan government to get all the necessary infrastructure in place.

The Warwick Samoa Resort will be the 38th property for the Warwick group which today counts to one of the biggest hotel chains in the world.

Samoa has a great future potential as a tourist destination regarding to the Senior Vice President Mrs Tammie Tam.

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

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This is all about the willpower of a young entrepreneurial family that lost their restaurant on the beach when it was hit by the tsunami wave on September 29, 2009.

Sala and Nika had a good going small restaurant in between two big luxury resorts. The guests from both Sinalei Reef Resort and Coconuts Beach Resort all loved the possibility to have a beer and some food together with the locals in an easy and friendly atmosphere just a few steps away.

When the restaurant was flushed away by the tsunami wave and the owner didn’t know what to do, the staff insisted to start building the restaurant up again. They told Sala and Nika – We Can’t Wait!

Without any payments they worked for 3 weeks collecting timber and old parts that could still be used until a new version of the restaurant was created.

Help for the ones that help themselves!

When other people saw what was happening they joined the team and all kinds of building material and money appeared. It was a true Miracle! – Nika said.

Every day was an improvement and very soon people from Apia, 20 km away got to know that one restaurant on the affected south coast was open again. A new sign was placed by the main road leading visitors to the little oasis with cool beers, cocktails and food at the beach.

Prepared for the next wave.

Sala and Nika and their staff have now had time to prepare for the next wave, which hopefully should be tourists from the bigger resorts, that soon will be ready to open after their reconstruction work.

If their entrepreneurial mind was not set to get things started and moving in the beginning they would never be in this great situation of creating prosperity and wealth for themselves, their staff and for the entire village of Siumu.

Well Done!!

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

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Salani Surf Resort was a beautifully designed small resort in Samoan style. Totally integrated in the Salani village the resort was operated by surfers for surfers. Exactly where the river meets the sea become the perfect location for accessing the great waves just a short boat ride away.

The nature of a surfer is to be up early in the morning to watch the waves and plan for the perfect time to get out to sea. This habit probably saved all the guests and staff at Salani in the morning on September 29, 2009. The knowledge of earth quakes creating tsunamis plus that the water disappeared from the lagoon was signs enough for the manager Nick to quickly evacuate all people from the resort up to higher grounds.

In just minutes 12 years of work was washed away by the huge tsunami wave that followed. The place was completely clean except for one house that for some reason was spared.

Not sure about the future.

There are hopes to have Salani surf resort up and running again after a year or more but this is still only hopes. It is all depending on insurance payments and the willingness to continue by the owners.

Salani Surf resort was always very concerned about safety and good practices for their surfing guests which was very valuable for the reputation of Samoa as a good surfing destination. It would be very welcomed to have Salani Surf Resort continuing their work in this area which certainly would make a difference in promoting Samoa worldwide as a safe and caring destination.

Listen to Nick when he explains what happened on September 29, 2009

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

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I just got off the phone after talking to Chris, the owner of Seabreeze Resort at the south east coast of Upolu island in Samoa. Chris explained that after 4 months not a cent of aid help has been provided by the Samoan government. Nobody is answering emails or phone calls to give an explanation why things takes such a long time.

Repairing before rebuilding

The last four months Chris and his wife Wendy have spent their time repairing buildings that were still standing after the tsunami at September 29, 2009. The buildings they are currently working on are the former suites 1 – 7 and the old laundry. Luckily all the work can be managed by Chris himself with all his experiences as a professional builder. The old restaurant has to be totally rebuilt from the beginning and tomorrow they will receive an Architect from New Zealand helping with the new layout.

Not much of the rebuilding can begin before they get a clear answer from both insurance company and government. Chris tells – The frustration is growing every day and soon some kind of action has to be taken to get the ball rolling.

Wendy wants all her kids back at work.

Chris and Wendy have always had such a strong bound with their staff and it is heart breaking to know that very few of them have a work at this time. All the kids will hopefully soon be back in their Seabreeze family again.

Will Seabreeze be open in November?

If things get moving very soon there is a good chance to have the resort up and running in November this year. There are many things that has to be done, a new restaurant is needed, destroyed bungalows needs to be rebuilt and a new seawall construction must be erected to protect from further erosion. The resort already lost about 3 meters of their grounds that was eaten by the tsunami wave.

See the video where Chris and Wendy will explain their plans for the future.

Mats Loefkvist   www.samoa-experience.com

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Coconuts dining room

We must move fast!

Coconuts Beach Resort was heavily damage during the tsunami on September 29, 2009. The bar, kitchen and conference (movie) room were completely gone. The only part of the beach front restaurant left, was the dining room although nothing inside. The whole building was leaning over and needed to be completely renovated.

The first time I saw the resort after the destruction a boat was standing on top of the debris that ones was a conference room. Despite of a more or less total rebuilding of the resort, Lina the manager of Coconuts, tells me that they need to move fast to get things going as many customers, always returning to Coconuts every year, wants to be back as soon as possible.

Seven Rooms in February.

Already at the end of February about 7 rooms should be ready to use again. Rooms located in the “Tree House” and the “Coco Suites” close to the Spa will be the first ones taken in use during the soft-opening at the end of February. Lina is also talking about reopening the Spa which was still in not too bad shape after the disaster.

All other fales and luxury suites are very heavily damaged and will need lots of time to be rebuilt or renovated. The two very popular “Over-Water” fales are completely gone but with the time they will for sure be constructed again. The future plan is to add more rooms and fales to the resort to be able to accommodate the increasing number of guests every year.

Office in the garden.

At the time I met Lina, the manager of Coconuts Beach Resort she had moved her office out in the garden. It was not that hard to do as the office was just one chair. From her new office it was easy to overlook the work as not much was left to block the view. Building material, equipment and furniture have been ordered from overseas but as everything else in Samoa, it just take some time.

Big Bar and Kitchen.

At this time a brand new bar and a kitchen are under construction and will be finished very soon. Both bar and kitchen will be much bigger then before, to bring the well known restaurant manager “Mika”, lots of space to move around. The old dining room has been straightened up and renovated and is just waiting for new furniture to arrive.

Lots of help from guests and the village.

Many overseas guests have helped the resort in different ways, showing their loyalty and love for something they call unique. Also, without the help and support from the village, it would not be possible to move forward with the rebuilding that is now well on it’s way….

Let Lina explain it all in the Video!

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Sinalei entrance

In every corner of Sinalei Reef Resort and Spa there is a builder of some kind restoring and repairing after the tsunami damage.

Not knowing how everything will be paid for, the owners and management have such a strong vision and commitment to bring Sinalei back to what it was before or even better.

The foundation of 5 new beach side fales have already been laid and the presidential suite have got a total rebuild after more or less been lifted off the ground by the huge tsunami wave.

The beach side restaurant “Ava i Tonga” which was totally gone has now got it’s new basic layout on the little man made island just below the main resort.

A new water sport centre is well on its way, built by volunteers from both Australia and New Zealand.

The location of the Spa has slightly been changed together with a whole new layout providing for a better sea-view and natural cooling by the ocean breeze.

Although about 70% of the staff has been laid off there are still many helping with cleaning, cooking and preparing for the future guests that are already now booking the resort and eagerly awaiting the day it will be open again.

Unconditional Love!

The manager of Sinalei, Sose Annandale express her sincere thanks for the amazing out-pour of love and help from people all around the world, people who really do care.

Despite times of war, hate and disaster there is another side of people that has a deep rooted love for humanity and ready to help unconditionally. This has clearly been proven with all the volunteers just coming by themselves from everywhere offering their professional skills for free.

Will Sinalei be reopened already in February?

Sose Annandale is talking about a soft opening for the local audience already in February. This will allow the resort to get a small revenue flowing back in, helping to lessen the huge costs that are involved.

In the event of an soft opening, there will still be lots of construction work going on. Not until the beginning of April, Sinalei will again be the peaceful and beautiful haven as it always has been.

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When everyone left the village heading for higher ground to settle down, the Fao Fao family took what they had and started rebuilding shortly after the accident, not waiting for the government to support them.

After many years of operation they are known worldwide and have many supporters. Private people offered money to help to start-up again. Four new fales directly on the beach was quickly built and taken into use. Already at Christmas time the restaurant and bar was ready to welcome the first guests in the new Fao Fao Beach Fales.

At this time there is not much competition around as the closest resort would be The Virgin Cove Resort at Saanapu Village which is more than 1 hour drive from Saleapanga and Fao Fao Beach Fales.

Building up a new resort from scratch is a big challenge but it also gives the family the opportunity to do things in a new and better way. One of the changes planned is to go more up-market with self-contained bungalows close but not directly at the beach.

To begin with the family had to stay in tents during the building period before the first fale was ready. It will take some time before the nature has recovered and all the remaining debris has been cleared in the area.

The thankfulness of the family for everything people from other countries have done for them and their business is enormous.

Listen to what they have to say….

Mats Loefkvist      www.samoa-experience.com

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The Taufua family was the family in Samoa who lost  most members during the tsunami catastrophe. Despite of the loss they are determined to build up the very popular “Taufua Beach Fales again. The family has such a strong vision of what they want to create that nothing can stop then from making their dreams come true.

After all the emotional wounds and long hospitalization, the owners Sili and Tai tells us about their plans to have Taufua Beach Fales up and running the same way as before and their former guests should arrive to the new Taufua Beach Fales with the feeling of coming home as nothing has happened.

We want you to come home!

Sili and Tai wants you to come home and enjoy their heart-felt hospitality the way it always have been. After the tsunami disaster they have had lots of time to reflect and plan their future life which also gave them many new ideas about how to construct their new Beach Fales and what their customers actually would like to have and experience.

The new fales will have no metal parts on the roofing that could be a danger to people, plus that the whole layout of the resort will be better planned for a quick exit in any difficult weather condition.

Going up the hill.

Up on the steep hills above the Lalomanu coast line, the Taufua family have already compleated a brand new big building that will serve as their private residence and accommodation for future guests. There will be a great new restaurant caring for the guests who are enjoying their time in one of the four luxurious bungalows that overlooks the ocean. The ocean view is absolutely spectacular and you will be able to see as far as American Samoa during clear days. From this new resort area with swimming pool up the hill you only have a short 15 minutes walk down to the well-known Lalomanu Beach and the famous traditional Taufua Beach Fales.

Let us explain……

Thank You James!

We like to say a big thank you to James Buffin for coming the whole way from Canada on his own expenses to help us with the professional video clip above plus many more to come in the following weeks….

Mats Loefkvist    www.samoa-experience.com

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Goals worth nothing

First I like to wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR with the hope that you have spent some valuable time with your family and loved ones. As usual you are supposed to set goals for the new year, which most of the time only are nice wishes. Goals and wishes are worth nothing without action, so let’s have some action during 2010. I believe that this is the time to start new and be totally open for different ideas rather then going in the footpath of the comfortable past years. We need to start thinking outside the box.

The numbers below shows clearly that we are on the right way. The traps are many and only with careful planning, a common vision and quality we will be able to succeed.

Minister of tourism

What the Tourism Minister Plan

Samoa broke the ST300 million barrier in tourism earnings in the year to the end of June.  The first time we earned ST310 million, which is about 30% of our GDP—the largest single contributor after remittances.

Up until now, tourism has been booming in Samoa with Australian holiday makers tripling in number over the last six years. Over 15,000 Australians made a holiday in Samoa in 2008.

Internationally, Samoa received over 120,000 tourists during the same year of 2008.
Taking into account Samoa’s natural beauty, the friendly locals, and the growing accommodation industry, it is no surprise that the vast majority of travelers visit for leisure purposes.

The Tourism Ministry’s goal is to get 135,000 tourists, which is an increase on the last year of about 16 percent.

Tourism is a key industry for the Samoan economy. It’s the biggest revenue earner, worth $300 million a year. It also brings in the most foreign exchange, providing and creating employment opportunities for our people.

Project planner

New Projects?

In light of the tsunami disaster, questions are now being asked about whether the massive tourism development project that was planned for Sasina and other villages in Savaii will still go ahead.
What about the proposed Warwick hotel at Vavau? How will the tsunami affect the progress of that project?

According to an official report Samoa still have about 85% of the accommodation businesses in operation and the only thing stopping the earnings for the tourism sector is the hesitation of the visitors to come back. The report tells the following:
1.    We still have five out of seven deluxe hotels available – 326 rooms and 854 beds.
2.    We still have five out of seven superior resorts available – 135 rooms and 314 beds
3.    We still have 22 out of 24 standard hotels available – 315 rooms and 759 beds
4.    We still have 27 out of 29 budget hotels available – 406 rooms and 864 beds
5.    We still have nine out of 14 beach fales available (overnight stays) or 144 rooms and 348 beds.
6.    We still have eight out of 17 beach fales available (day stays) or 51 rooms.”

Fly Easy to Samoa

Air Pacific has just launched a new flight given Samoa a direct service to Honolulu which has proven very lucrative.
We’ve now got 14 flights a week from New Zealand, 3 flights a week nonstop from Sydney and one from Brisbane. Still Air New Zealand is flying the popular route Los Angeles –  New Zealand with a stop in Apia.

A Must for the Future

Tourism is growing greener and more and more travelers demand a green and responsible development for the future. People are not only prepared to pay more for an environmentally aware hotel, they are also not prepared to contribute to any irresponsible activity unfavorable to the nature what so ever.

Although the tsunami was a terrible disaster, it gives us the possibility to rethink and review the future plans of our tourism activities.

Looking Back on 2009

Full of sadness, there is no doubt the events of September, especially the tsunami which killed 143 people, tops the list.
September was an action-packed month. There was the controversial road switch, the $20million boat stuck on the reef in Apia and the Hotel Kitano fire.

Many people were and are still struggling to make ends meet.
The swine flu was scary. At least 138 Samoans were diagnosed with three people killed.

Happenings in April

Guinness World Record Travelers visit
Traveling Swiss couple, Emil and Liliana Schmid are Guinnes Book record holders, and they visited Samoa to extend their record to 163 countries visited.
But that is only part of an amazing story that started 24 and a half years ago for the couple and still continues.
What sets the couple apart and what has won them special recognition by the Guinness Book of record is where they always take their trusty Toyota land cruiser car where ever they go.
The Schmids and their 1982 FJ60 Toyota Land Cruiser have traveled 642 thousand kilometers – the most by any other couple. They have traveled around in Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Asia and now the Oceania.

Happenings in May

Swine flu
May was the swine flu month. All visitors to Samoa were tested at the airport as Samoa braced itself for the swine flu virus. There were men and women walking around Samoa with masks, an usual sight.
In the end, the disease killed three people. Over hundred Samoans were tested swine flu positive.

Happenings in June

Fagali’i airport returns
Four years after it was closed, Fagali’i Airport was back in business with international flights from Pago Pago served only by Polynesian Airlines. The airport was closed for safety reasons.

Happenings in September

Road switch
Samoa changed over to drive on the left side of the road after a long and criticized process.

Boat stranded worth $20m
The container ship, Forum Samoa II, stuck on the reef in Apia

Kitano fire

Apia landmark up in smoke
An electrical fault is one possible cause of the fire which destroyed iconic fale of the former Kitano Tusitala Hotel, now known as Tanoa Tusitala.
Bought by Tanoa Hotels Group July this year, the three fale were reduced to ashes within an hour by raging flames. All had just been renovated by the new owners.

Tsunami hits
Government officials and emergency agencies worked endless days and nights to deliver tents and water to stricken Aleipata, Siumu and Falealili residents hit hardest by the tsunami on September 29.

Happenings in December

Savaii – top of the list

Savaii is doing well and many hotels have a better occupancy than previous year despite of the many cancellations because of the tsunami.

Help us keeping the VISION of a great new Samoa…

Mats Loefkvist     www.samoa-experience.com

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MAKING THE MOVE TO THE FUTURE.

Another year has soon come to an end and Christmas with family and friends has been taken care of. When moving closer to the new year, it is natural to reflect on the past and setting the goals for the future. What happened during the past year and how did we react to it? How did the happenings affect our future plans and goals?

I wouldn’t know a better way to make our thoughts clear about this than the way it is explained in the book by Spencer Johnson called:

“WHO MOVED MY CHEESE?”

Who Moved My Cheese?  is the story of 4 characters living in a “Maze” who face unexpected change when they discover their “Cheese” has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their “Maze” differently. In fact, one doesn’t adapt at all…

This timeless allegory reveals profound truths to individuals and organizations dealing with change. We each live in a “Maze”, a metaphor for the companies or organizations we work with, the communities we live in, the families we love places where we look for the things we want in life, “Cheese”. It may be an enjoyable career, loving relationships, wealth, or spiritual peace of mind.

As we all know, Samoa has been through many changes the past year, anything from economic difficulties, changing to left side driving and tsunami and we all have our own way to respond to this. How do you react when your cheese is taken away?

• Would you listen to your feelings and run off to do what your heart desire – Get more cheese?
• Would you just run off without any plan or feelings in the hope to find more cheese?
• Would you analyze the problem until it is almost too late and finally make a move to find more cheese?
• Would you do nothing at all and wait until the cheese is coming back, as it was not your fault that the cheese is gone?

PEOPLE COMMENTS

Gemma Nelson, Vaoala

Yes. Last year was better because we didn’t have to think about things like the tsunami, the road switch or other hard times we’ve been through this year. People have so much more to be thankful for this Christmas.

THEY FOUND THE CHEESE!

Faofao Beach Fales is back.
Waves swept away 20 beach fale and other facilities at the Saleapaga tourist spot on 29 September.
Damage was total. Yesterday, however, four beach fale and a bar and restaurant was launched. The opening is actually an official event. They have guests already, said spokesman, Tapu Legalo.

Tapu was worried about their prospects of attracting guests at Christmas after the tsunami.

“But people have been OK,” he said. Unlike before not their entire beach fales will be located on the beach.
Some will be built across the road from the beach.

Go and find your cheese,

Happy New Year !

Mats Loefkvist       www.samoa-experience.com

P.S Anyone interested in the book “Who Moved My Cheese” can find it at
Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

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