It does not feel like Christmas, claimed people who spoke to the Samoa Observer when asked if they have felt an increase in business. 

It is now eight days to Christmas, and people claim that, unlike yesteryears, it has been quiet. 

At the Taumeasina Island Resort, employee Vaiuli said he felt that it was not as busy this year.“As I say, this year is different from other years,” Vaiuli said. “Few people, few visitors coming here, but most are local people.”

"The resort has not seen the usual number of visitors who typically arrive during the Christmas season. In the past few years, the holiday period brought more tourists, but this year the atmosphere has been quieter. I don't feel like it's Christmas in Samoa”

Business owners in town also claimed the same. “ Christmas this year is not the same as in previous years”.

“This Christmas is different from other years,” said one business owner. “For the past few years, the town has been crowded with so many people coming and buying for Christmas, but this year is not really like other years.”

They said shops are not as busy as they were in the past, and the crowds that usually fill the town during Christmas shopping have been smaller.

“It’s the same as usual,” a street vendor said. “It’s just Christmas, but it's not really like other years before".