There is a growing paradox in travel right now: the expectation to be connected 24/7 is higher than ever, whilst the desire to unplug, recharge and seek authentic, transformative experiences is also higher than ever.
It is within this context that I travel to Samoa for the Samoan Tourism Exchange. But between the sessions and industry dinners, I get to do something rarer: actually explore the place.
EXCLUSIVE: Aussies attending Samoa Tourism Exchange skyrockets 300%
Samoa is having a moment. Trouble in the Middle East has Australians looking for something culturally different and closer to home, and the Pacific is delivering. Attendance at this year’s exchange reflects that shift – where 13 Australians made the trip last year, 39 are here this time, most of them first-timers keen to check the destination out for themselves.
I am staying at the Taumesina Island Resort, a four-star property that has everything you would expect from a top hotel: a gleaming reception area, a wide-ranging breakfast buffet, attentive staff, two beautiful swimming pools, a spa, and – most notably – private beach access complete with wild turtles.
My two-bedroom villa has a private balcony and sweeping ocean views, and I feel instantly and completely spoilt. The villa has all the comfort and privacy of a home without any of the obligations of one: daily cleaning, and chocolates delivered to the door once a day. It becomes my quiet retreat when I need to file copy or simply decompress between a busy social schedule.
It is perhaps unsurprising that I find Samoa a peaceful place to write, given it was once home to Robert Louis Stevenson. A visit to his former residence is one of several cultural excursions woven around the exchange – a careful bridge between Western history and the lush, humid world of Samoa. Our guide takes us from room to room with evident pride, retelling the story of one of the world’s most celebrated writers.
“He came here because he was looking for somewhere quiet to write, and the King of Hawaii recommended Samoa,” she tells us.
Standing on his balcony, looking out over sweeping tropical views, it is easy to see why the Treasure Island writer never left.
On the first evening, we attend a local cultural performance that quickly becomes one of the highlights of the trip. The female dancers are enchanting – bright smiles, gentle waves of the arms, precise head flicks. The men follow with a fire display that has more than a few of us fearing for our fingertips, as a performer spins flames at barely-believable speed before sitting, quite calmly, on a naked flame while wearing a skirt made of leaves.
A laugh and a shake of the hips tells us he is fine. The highlight of the night belongs to a Fa’afafine performer who graces the stage with a black logo t-shirt and more sass than Mariah Carey. Fa’afafine are a recognised third gender in Samoa, and the performance – electric, passionate, perfectly synchronised with the rest of the troupe – reveals a Samoa that is very much alive with diversity.
On my second day, a small group of us slip away to visit the famous To Sua Ocean Trench, one of Samoa’s most celebrated natural attractions. Even the journey becomes an experience when our driver Kenan (a guide we were put in touch with from Samoa Holidays and Events) quietly invites us – or perhaps we invite ourselves – into his family home, where a new chief is being elected.
The compound hums with activity: men gathered around a fire barbecuing meat, women in another room making cocoa, cousins moving between both like siblings. We are offered a cup and I am relieved to find it has been sweetened. It reminds me, unexpectedly, of my mother’s family in Sicily – women in the kitchen, the men outside, the particular warmth of a family occasion that doesn’t require explanation. A part of me bristles at the strict gender roles, but everyone seems very happy and the sense of easy community is undeniable, something that can sometimes feel absent in the bustle of city life.
After almost certainly overstaying our welcome, we head to the trench itself – and it exceeds every expectation. A deep crater in the earth with a luminous lagoon at its base, accessed by a steep ladder that turns my legs to jelly. Heights are not my strong suit. But the moment I reach the bottom and lie back, looking up at a circle of sky from deep inside the ground, there is a complete and total silence. The troubles facing the world, and the travel industry, feel a very long way away.
And really – what more do you want from a holiday?
In tomorrow’s Travel Weekly we will be including advisor views on last week’s Samoan Tourism Exchange where nearly 100 buyers from across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the US and China descended on Samoa.
