A more beautiful Samoa in the eyes of Chinese Ambassador

By Wang Xuefeng 09 August 2018, 12:00AM

Ambassador of China 

China Ready Workshop

 

It is with great pleasure that I come to attend the Opening Ceremony of China Ready Workshop.

Firstly, I would like to express my warm congratulations to the opening of China Ready workshop. I also want to express our sincere thanks to Honorable Prime Minister for his strong support to China-Samoa cooperation in tourism industry.

With the ever increasing social and economic development and the level of living standard, tourism has become more and more popular among people and the number of tourists traveling not only within the country but also outside the country has been rapidly increasing in China.

According to the 2017 China Outbound Tourism Travel Report jointly released by Ctrip and China Tourism Academy, more than 130 million Chinese have traveled abroad in 2017.

Even though Samoa has not become a destination for the large amount of Chinese travelers in the past, yet some who know travelling better have already found Samoa, the dazzling gem of the South Pacific.

Nowadays, Chinese travelers pay close attention to air quality and natural environment when picking destinations. Islands with fresh air and bright sunshine are becoming increasingly popular. 

Statistics show that 30% of Chinese outbound tourists chose islands as their travel destinations.

Samoa, with the most fresh air, the bright sunshine, the most beautiful beach, friendly people, rich culture and history, safe environment, stable political condition, will sure emerge as one of the most popular destinations for island holidays.

Three years ago, not long after I began my tenure in Samoa, I wrote an article “Beautiful Samoa in the Eyes of Chinese Ambassador”, and now I shall write another article with the title “ A More Beautiful Samoa in the Eyes of Chinese Ambassador” since I have been here for almost three years and have a much better knowledge about beautiful Samoa.

I myself have been overwhelmed by the beautiful scenery, the unique and rich culture and tradition of Samoa. I hope more and more Chinese tourists will also have the opportunity to experience the charm of this paradise island. I am glad that Samoa will send a delegation to participate in The First China International Import Expo to be held in Shanghai in November.

This will be a very good platform for Samoa to showcase her charm, both natural and cultural. It will also be an excellent opportunity for people of China and visitors from all other countries to know about Samoa.   

In the past years, China and Samoa have worked in close collaboration to promote the exchange and cooperation in the field of tourism.

China has invited officials from Samoa tourism department to participate in various regional and international conferences in tourism development and tourism expos so as to enhance the cooperative relations between Samoan tourism sector and their counterparts from China as well as from other countries in the world.

China has also invited tourism personnel from both government departments and private sector to participate in the various human resources training programs in such fields as tourism management, cultural experience, arts and handicrafts, culinary skills, etc. China has also been providing aid in the infrastructure construction to facilitate tourism development.

The new Faleolo International Airport has become Samoa’s gateway to the world and a brand-new landmark of the  beautiful Samoa.

This new international airport, together with all the popular hotels and resorts and other tourism resources as well as The Art and Cultural Center and China-Samoa Friendship Park to be built on the waterfront, will definitely bring vitality to the sustainable development of Samoa tourism industry.

Samoa is a very attractive destination to Chinese tourists as well as tourists from many other countries in the world. However, the major obstacle for Chinese tourists to come to Samoa is the lack of direct flights.

Both Chinese government and Samoan government have made efforts in solving this problem. The signing of the Agreement on China-Samoa Aviation Transportation Service by the governments of our two countries has provided legal guarantee for the direct flights.

While time is not yet mature to have the direct flights immediately, we may try to start with chartered flights. Since last year, there have been several Chinese business people coming to Samoa to explore the possibility of chartered flights. Even though, none of them have become reality yet, we look forward to the day when the first chartered flight arrives in Samoa.

In the future, China will continue to join hands with Samoa in furthering the tourism development in Samoa and to bring more Chinese tourists to Samoa. This China Ready Workshop is a practical step toward this goal.

Expertise in tourism industry from both China and Samoa will work together to get to know the situation as well as the needs of each other. I wish this China Ready Workshop a complete success.

By Wang Xuefeng 09 August 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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