The organisation formerly known as the Samoa Hotel Association (SHA) has changed its name to Samoa Hotel and Hospitality Association (SHHA) to reflect its new direction after passing an amendment to its constitution at its December (2021) Member’s Meeting, to include non-hotel operators into its membership.
President of SHHA, Tupai Saleimoa Vaai said the move has been a long time coming and given the current state of tourism and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is vital the industry adapts by taking a more inclusive approach in working together towards achieving its objective.
“We want to be a voice for the tourism sector not just the hotels” said Tupai “ With our membership now including non-hotel operators, we can now effectively collaborate and resolve issues together.”
“From a holistic point of view, if we want to lift the standards of the industry, we must also look at assisting non-hotel operators. For example if you stay in a hotel and receive fine service and then find that tour operators or attraction sites are not up to the same standard, it will affect the visitor experience and reflect on the whole industry.”
More importantly said Tupa’I, “the amendments and restructure now gives a voice to non-hotel operators who can contribute to the discussions and be a part of the solutions.”
"We are giving other tourism operators a voice and considering their feedback on what’s needed to improve or support tourism. More importantly when we speak to Government as an association on matters that affect our industry we will be speaking in the true voice of the whole tourism sector. “
The President of SHHA also revealed that they are gearing up for their Annual General Meeting which will bring all constitutional changes into effect including the organisation’s structure to include non-hotel operators on the council.
“With the organisation officially changing its name and being inclusive, we have now created the pathway for SHHA to move towards a new vision through a new strategic plan that will truly reflect the interests of the industry. On behalf of SHHA I encourage all business operators who consider themselves part of the sector to join the association and let their voice be heard. Let’s help Samoa build a better tourism product together.”
As a symbol of their new structure and direction, SHHA is running a logo design competition, inviting local talent to re-imagine their brand and reflect Samoa Tourism as a whole. The competition has been extended to 17 March and offers a $300 cash prize to the successful designer. All interested participants are encouraged to submit their designs to manager@samoa-hotels.ws or direct mail their Instagram Account (@samoahotelassociation).
