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Samoa calls for support from UK travel industry

Samoa has appealed to the UK travel industry to help its recovery in the wake of the tsunami that struck one of its islands at the end of last month.

The Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) is reminding travel agents that most of the country is operating normally.

“Only the south and south east coast of the island of Upolu has been affected, so agents can confidently sell the rest of Samoa to customers in the interim,” said an STA spokeswoman.

She said UK travellers booked to stay at the affected hotels were being relocated.

Tourism, which accounts for 25% of Samoa’s GDP, is a growth sector for the country. “It is important that British tourists continue to come to Samoa and support the hotels and resorts that have not been affected,” explained the spokeswoman. “We are relying on the industry’s continued support and for their kind messages.”

The STA has said it is restarting its destination marketing initiatives on October 12, after halting the campaign when the tsunami struck on September 30.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to all of American Samoa and the south coast of Upolu, Samoa, until further notice.

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