After over two years of shut borders that crushed Samoa’s tourism sector, a leading tourism figure in Savai'i is not even sure if it is worth reopening his business now the country's borders are set to open.

Savai’i Samoa Tourism Association President, Vaaelua Faapoipoi Gidlow told the Samoa Observer on Monday that there is a lack of enthusiasm among a lot of tourism operators, after they struggled through the last 28 months trying to keep their operations afloat, amid zero tourist and visitor arrivals in Samoa.

"Even I closed my hotel a year ago because it was costing me more than usual,” Vaaelua said in an interview. 

“The hotel was costing us our savings too, we were paying staff from money we were not getting from guests as there were none.”

Vaaelua said he was at a construction site, when he was contacted over the telephone, to indicate how they are all considering other options. 

Currently, the Association’s activities are on hold as the industry waits for the Government, he indicated, in terms of assistance to operators including hoteliers in Savai’i before the reopening of borders on 1 August. 

"There is not much we can say, the market is stagnant. I personally won't be opening my hotel soon because I just cannot afford it," he said. 

As to funding accessibility from the Government to assist the Association and its members, Vaaelua confirmed that his business had some assistance from the Samoa Tourism Authority, through funding provided by the New Zealand High Commission.

There was also funding assistance from the Ministry for Commerce Industry and Labour (M.C.I.L.) to keep the Association’s office open.

"There was very minimal funding from M.C.I.L to keep the office going so we have Neil and Nive who are there to help the Association coordinate," he said.

"But there is not much available to sustain it so the members in Savai’i are all trying to survive doing other things. 

“We cannot just hang onto the hotel business if it is not possible to make ends meet.”

The Association has also not convened a meeting lately as members struggle to stay afloat, Vaaelua said.

A tourism worker in Savai’i, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told this newspaper that one of the biggest challenges the Association faced is logistics to check on industry operators.

"We have to find cars when S.T.A contacts us to find people before they come on their visits," he said. 

"It is not easy to go to sites far away from where we are based. I think if the S.T.A provided Savai’i with a car we could also be key promoters from Savai’i.

"See there are sites in Savai’i that are not nationally recognised but if we had a good connection between the islands, we would be able to promote Savai’i for what it is.”