Apia, 10 March, 2005:
The Samoa Hotel Association today entered an new era with the launch of its new Web site and online booking service (
www.samoa-hotels.ws
) and the opening of a new office in the Samoan Fale, Beach Road, Apia. SHA developed the online facilities and opened the new office with a package of technical assistance and financial support provided through the International Finance Corporation-managed Pacific Enterprise Development Facility.
“Tourism is a key industry for Samoa and it is important that the accommodation sector remains at the forefront of meeting customer needs," said John Perrottet, Tourism Specialist with PEDF, "The travel industry is undergoing rapid change with the growth in independent travellers, discount airlines and use of the Internet to market travel products and process bookings. We were keen to see the accommodation sector in Samoa take a lead to ensure it capitalizes on these changes.”
The new website and office will help SHA to take a proactive role to ensure market access to the broadest possible number of accommodation providers.
“We have 34 accommodation providers represented on the new site, including many small scale operators remote from Apia and without any Internet access,” SHA President Papali’i Steve Young said. “The SHA website and booking system, provided by Worldhotel-link.com, has been specially designed for use in emerging economies and allows all accommodation providers to participate."
The WHL product, which includes web marketing and management support, is the result of nearly three years of pilot testing and development in the Mekong region in Asia by the IFC-managed Mekong Private Sector Development Facility.
The Web site package includes a highly sophisticated booking system and a benchmarking function that enables all operators around the world, such as SHA, to measure their performance against other operators to help keep standards high. WHL has many sites under construction around the world, including a large number in the Pacific Rim region, and SHA will also benefit from referred visitors from these sites.
“Another big benefit with the international WHL package SHA has adopted, is that the booking operation remains locally owned and the booking commissions remain in-country to invest in the development of the local industry,” Mr Perrottet said.
About Samoa Hotel association (SHA)
SHA is a non-profit association representing the Samoan accommodation industry. Membership to the association is open to accommodation providers in Samoa and its executive is elected by the members annually. SHA was formed in 1999 and is committed to supporting its members and the development of a sustainable tourism industry in the country.
About the Pacific Enterprise Development Facility (PEDF)
PEDF offers services and assistance to small and medium enterprises and the individuals or institutions that serve them. It seeks to improve their business operating environments and promote sustainable industry development. PEDF was founded in 1990 and is managed by the International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of the World Bank. PEDF is funded by donations from IFC, Australia, Japan, and New Zealand.
About Worldhotel-link.com Limited (WHL)
WHL is a private company based in Hong Kong, providing a packaged accommodation e-marketplace service to local operators. The service was developed from extensive experience gained in a project to e-enable local accommodation providers in the Mekong region. The WHL package comprises templated e-commerce enabled websites with built-in content management facilities; web hosting; web marketing; and a full featured online booking administration system which each operator uses to manage bookings. The package also comes with a complete suite of manuals and user guides.
