59,113 research outputs found
Beach fale tourism in Samoa: The value of indigenous ownership and control over tourism
This working paper reports on the findings of a research project which explores the budget tourism sector in Samoa as epitomized by beach fale tourism. Its main aim is to draw attention to the legitimacy and value of this often overlooked sector of the tourism market. As such it documents ways in which beach fale have contributed to development in Samoan villages, as well as identifying constraints to improvement of this sector. It concludes with a number of recommendations as to how sustainable, equity-enhancing development of tourism in Samoa can be supported in the future. Readers seeking a thorough understanding of beach fale tourism, including contextual information on the nature of tourism development in Samoa, and specific information concerning training and financial support for beach fale operators and impressions of tourists, are referred to an earlier paper in this series (CIGAD Working Paper No.3/2005 â see Scheyvens 2005b).
The beach fale industry has contributed significantly to the development of a number of Samoan villages. There have been widespread multiplier effects for village communities as the fale are constructed using mainly local materials and expertise, and their owners often purchase items such as fruit, vegetables, seafood, and mats from the village and hire village labour during busy periods. Guests also contribute to the wider village through various means such as purchases made from village shops, use of local transport, and contributions to the collection plate when they attend a church service. Another benefit of beach fale tourism which has not been officially acknowledged is that it has restored the pride of many villagers in their home environment. Most Samoans feel genuinely honoured when people from all over the world come to visit their village and learn about their culture, and consequently community members contribute enthusiastically to village beautification efforts. Furthermore, the economic rejuvenation of some villages through beach fale tourism has reduced rural-urban migration as young people feel they now can stay in their home village and have a viable future.
Despite the significant growth of the beach fale sector and the benefits this has brought to rural communities, it has been overlooked, disregarded, and in some cases harshly criticised by various commentators. Beach fale are seemingly invisible to those estimating the number of beds available for tourists in Samoa, for example, as they do not include beach fale accommodation in their estimates. Similarly, an Asian Development Bank report on Samoa (ADB 2000) with an entire chapter on tourism does not mention that beach fale exist. Outside consultants and investors, meanwhile, have voiced frustration with the communal land tenure system and its requirement for consensus in decisions concerning land use, as this has impeded the development of large resorts in prime beach side locations; instead, small clusters of beach fale occupy some of the best coastal sites in Samoa. This also irks some Samoans involved in the tourism industry, as they feel that there are too many run-down beach fale, forming a scar on the landscape. Related to this point, it has been suggested that the development of a strong budget tourism sector is not good for Samoaâs image because a country so well endowed with natural and cultural assets should be home to high class resorts which attract high spending tourists. In addition there is some jealousy of the success of beach fale from the owners of small, lower class hotels, who now see many of their former clientele (such as staff of government agencies) preferring to stay in beach fale; it is likely that this jealousy contributes to negative perceptions of what beach fale have to offer the tourism sector.
The Government is now introducing changes which could undermine beach fale tourism in some areas. Firstly, an amendment bill was passed in Parliament in on June 26, 2003, to encourage more foreign investment in higher class resorts. This involves the government playing a stronger role in assisting outsiders to lease land, and tax breaks being given to new hotel/resort developments, with the size of the tax relief being proportional to the size of the hotel/resort. This may see more land moving out of community hands, at least temporarily, in the future, but it is unclear if this is also signaling less government support for the small-scale beach fale initiatives. Secondly, partly in response to concerns from within the tourism industry about supposed substandard accommodation and facilities provided by some beach fale operations, staff of the Samoan Tourism Authority are formalizing planning procedures by developing âminimum standardsâ which tourist accommodation providers must abide by if they want to be promoted or endorsed by the Government. Depending on the final details of these minimum standards, this may mean that less wealthy families will be unlikely to establish a beach fale venture, as greater resources will be required to meet the minimum standards.
Based on these findings and an earlier paper ( 2005b), this working paper makes four key recommendations:
⢠Firstly, village leaders together with Samoan Tourism Authority (STA) personnel need to regularly monitor the development of beach fale (through personal observation, village meetings, and consultation with tourists), and to control this development where necessary, in order to:
a) maximise the benefits villagers gain from the fale (for example, in order to maintain their popularity beach fale need to continue to offer tourists a unique cultural experience in a relaxed environment - if some villages are oversubscribed with beach fale enterprises and owners start haggling for custom, this is likely to deter tourists)
b) minimise inconvenience/harm to local people from tourism. To date, matai have effectively put in place good social controls on tourist behaviour but they may need to pay more attention to environmental issues (such as sewage disposal and use of fresh water by beach fale), and to equity issues ( ensuring that beach fale development does not impinge heavily on access of local people to the beach or marine resources) otherwise resentment towards tourism could build up over time.
⢠Secondly, the Samoan Tourism Authority and donors such as NZAID should continue to support beach fale enterprises and to ensure that in doing so they offer assistance to a diverse range of enterprises, from the very basic to those that are now well promoted and more up-market. While it would be easy to overlook the basic beach fale enterprises, they effectively provide an important livelihood strategy particularly for those who are not in a strong economic position withintheir village, and it is operators of these enterprises who are in more need of help with matters like publicity, marketing, and service provision.
⢠Thirdly, officials need to recognize the importance of the domestic tourism market, and to encourage development of this market both because a) it is a very good source of revenue and it is less fickle than the international tourism market, and b) this would signal that the government is interested in the recreation and well-being of its own citizens, rather than just offering up the countryâs best scenic assets for the enjoyment of foreign tourists.
⢠Fourthly, there is further potential to develop the beach fale sector, but advice needs to be provided to villagers about development of associated products and services, such as beach clothing, souvenirs, food or tours, so that they are aware of viable options which do not just replicate the basic beach fale concept. The Samoan Tourism Authority, Small Business Enterprise Centre, donors and other relevant agencies could assist villagers to identify and develop appropriate products and services to enhance the beach fale experience.
In summary, this paper shows how a unique model of tourism development centred on basic beach fale has evolved in Samoa and is reaping considerable benefits for rural people. Samoa has until recently eschewed many advances from international interests because of land tenure issues, preferring to take a path which has supported the development of a strong and dynamic budget beach fale sector (see 2005a, 2005b). This paper suggests that although beach fale tourism does not attract high spending tourists, it should be considered âhigh valueâ in terms of community development because most economic benefits are retained locally, it is based upon local skills and resources, it involves cultural education of guests, it supports conservation of resources, and it does this all in the context of high levels of local ownership, participation and control
Reconnecting with the Past: Traditional Tongan architecture as an Educational Device for the Tongan People
The complexity of the traditional Tongan fale has decreased over time, but there is a need for architects to revive the essence and the cultural aspects of the fale. This research helps increase the understanding of traditional Tongan architecture and find ways to incorporate in teaching the people of Tonga about this aspect of Tongan culture. I have a great responsibility as a Tongan architect to study and gain knowledge about the fale and use that knowledge to educate my people. The traditional fale was more than just a building or shelter; it also helped to define the ownerâs status in society. Every part of the fale provides a significant contribution to its function and has uses beyond those of the building itself. These parts and terminology are very seldom used because they hardly exist today, and the few people who still use this vocabulary are mostly elderly. The construction process of the fale was important to everyone in the community. Everyone one, from the children to the elderly, had important roles in construction. They worked together as if it was their own house they were building. This process shows that helping each other is a vital part of the Tongan culture. With the information and data from books, the internet, interviews and a survey, I hope to share my knowledge of the fale with the others and reveal its forms even in simple forms, such as bus stations
The growth of beach fale accommodation in Samoa: Doing tourism the Samoan way
Samoa is an independent Pacific Island nation with beautiful beaches, rainforests and volcanic
features, and is home to vibrant Polynesian communities living mainly in picturesque villages
dotted around two main islands. It is seemingly another perfect island paradise, yet Samoans have a long history of resistance to outside interference thus in the past they have been reluctant to trade on their countryâs natural beauty and cultural features by encouraging tourism development. Threats to the countryâs agriculture sector from two cyclones and a taro blight led to a change of heart in the early 1990s, and tourism has since rapidly grown to become Samoaâs main industry, contributing four times more to the economy than agriculture (Twining-Ward and Twining-Ward, 1998).
Arrivals grew from less than 48,000 in 1990 to over 92,000 by 2003.
However, unlike the three most popular Pacific Island destinations, Fiji, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, Samoa is not home to numerous large resorts. Instead the tourism industry here is dominated by small to medium sized enterprises which are mostly under local ownership and control. The largest growth in recent years has been experienced in the budget beach fale accommodation sector. Beach fale, or traditional beach huts, are now a strong feature of the coastal landscape of Samoa. A family or community need relatively little capital to establish a beach fale operation, but the family or community group does need permission from the relevant matai (chiefs). These fale range from basic, open sided huts with thatched roofs and traditional woven blinds in the place of walls, to walled bungalows with small verandas. Bathroom and dining facilities are shared with other guests, and the relations between guests and those catering to their needs are more friendly than servile. Guests are expected to conform with cultural protocol during their stay, which includes dressing appropriately when entering a village and respecting Sa(evening prayer time).
Staff of the Samoan Tourism Authority generally recognise the value of beach fale as a unique
tourism product, and they have been supported by NZAID in providing training and financial support
to beach fale owners over the past few years. Training in areas such as financial management,
health and safety, and service skills is helping to address areas of weakness which exist in the
beach fale sector, where many of the owners have limited business experience.
Beach fale attract a wide range of clientele, with both Samoan and foreign tourists being very
important markets. Samoan guests include couples, families, and youth groups who typically take
weekend day trips from Apia to nearby beaches where they pay a small fee to cover use of the beach and a beach fale (which provides shade and a comfortable resting place). Longer stay visitors to beach fale include government and non-governmental agency staff who are sent on retreats to work on their mission statement or review goals and objectives, and family or school groups celebrating a reunion. Foreign visitors are also a diverse group which, rather than being limited to international backpackers, includes a lot of young and middle-aged couples from Australia and New Zealand, surfers, adventurers and ecotourists of all ages, and clientele from up-market hotels like Aggie Greyâs who desire a unique cultural experience for a day or two.
The majority of tourists interviewed in this research were extremely positive about beach fale
tourism. Typical comments from a beach fale visitorâs book were as follows: âGreat placeâ;
âfantastic foodâ; âwonderful beachâ; âfriendly familyâ. Many guests commented that they would like to stay longer and/or to return one day. The location of beach fale on what would be prime coastal property with premium values in most parts of the world certainly adds to the value of the fale.One respondent referred to beach fale as â5 star hotels the Samoan wayâ, and many tourists remarked that staying in an open fale gave them a sense of the affinity between culture and nature in Samoan society.
Both Samoan and foreign tourists agreed that there were several services that were central to an enjoyable beach fale experience:
⢠clean and well maintained facilities
⢠good meals incorporating local produce
⢠a secure environment
⢠friendly staff.
There were few negative perceptions of beach fale, but they are worth mentioning so those operating beach fales or providing training to operators are aware of touristsâ concerns. While they appreciated the relaxed pace of life in Samoa, some tourists felt that the hospitality was âtoo casualâ at times. For example, tourists expressed annoyance that fale which had been booked in advance were given to other guests, and at the time taken to respond to their requests for service or assistance. Newly arrived tourists were sometimes anxious about security or privacy concerns when staying in open fale, but their fears usually abated after a few days. Some tourists felt there was a lack of clarity or inconsistency with pricing practices, thus every operator in a village might charge ST$60 for one night even when the quality of their accommodation and service varied enormously. While a few foreign tourists were concerned that beach fale were now crowding the beach in popular locations, Samoan tourists had no concern about this and felt that there was still space for growth in the overall number of fale. Finally a minority of tourists felt resentful that there were cultural restrictions placed on their activities at certain times (e.g. Sundays); the majority were however very positive about the value of Samoan culture and respectful in their
attitude to beach fale rules.
Samoa demonstrates that a country with strong indigenous control of the tourism sector can be
economically successful. Large-scale development of up-market hotels and resorts based on foreign
investment need not be the key objective of Third World governments that wish to maximize their gains from tourism. Indeed, it is probably in Samoaâs interests to stay with small-medium scale
tourism development and to cater for a diverse range of tourists, including domestic tourists and those traveling on a budget. Many tourists who come to Samoa are attracted at least partly because of what a locally-controlled tourism industry can offer, namely, low to moderate prices, friendly service, basic accommodation in stunning locations, and a cultural experience
Measuring Job Vacancies in New Zealand Through Jobs Online
The Department of Labour released a new online job vacancy monitoring series â Jobs Online â in December 2009. This series reports the change in the number of advertisements listed on key job boards: SEEK and Trade Me Jobs. Jobs Online serves as an early indicator of changing labour market and economic conditions.
This paper provides an overview of how job vacancy data was collected in New Zealand and overseas. It outlines how the Department of Labour changed its collection of job vacancy data from the Job Vacancy Monitoring Programme (JVMP) â a manual count of newspaper advertisements â to Jobs Online â an electronic analysis of onÂline advertisements on major job boards. The results from Jobs Online are discussed and compared with other labour market indicators.
Overall, the results from Jobs Online show an increase in job vacancies over time in total vacancies and in skilled vacancies. This is in line with employment growth in New Zealand after the recession that started in June 2009. Since October 2010 the growth in job vacancies is easing, but remains positive. The data on skilled vacancies is broken down by region, occupation and industry.
The data from Jobs Online tracks well with other labour market indicators such as the unemployment rate. According to economic theory, the Beveridge curve shows the relationship between the vacancy rate and the unemployment rate over time. The Departmentâs empirical analysis of the Beveridge curve confirmed that a high vacancy rate calculated from Jobs Online was associated with a low unemployment rate. In addition, a low vacancy rate calculated from Jobs Online was associated with a high unemployment rate
Upgrade of the geodetic network in the area of GlinĹĄÄica
The Diploma Thesis gives a brief description of the railway lines in Slovenia and focuses on the issue at the line from DivaÄa to Koper, where the advantages of building a second railway track are discussed. The theoretical part presents the theory of geodetic measurements simulation and introduces the data adjustment with all associated calculations. In the practical part we analysed the existing geodetic network of GlinĹĄÄica and tried to upgrade it. The results are presented in a tabular and graphical format
Collective chaos in pulse-coupled neural networks
We study the dynamics of two symmetrically coupled populations of identical
leaky integrate-and-fire neurons characterized by an excitatory coupling. Upon
varying the coupling strength, we find symmetry-breaking transitions that lead
to the onset of various chimera states as well as to a new regime, where the
two populations are characterized by a different degree of synchronization.
Symmetric collective states of increasing dynamical complexity are also
observed. The computation of the the finite-amplitude Lyapunov exponent allows
us to establish the chaoticity of the (collective) dynamics in a finite region
of the phase plane. The further numerical study of the standard Lyapunov
spectrum reveals the presence of several positive exponents, indicating that
the microscopic dynamics is high-dimensional.Comment: 6 pages, 5 eps figures, to appear on Europhysics Letters in 201
Slow hospitality: Family perspectives of holiday experiences at beach fale in Samoa
In Samoa, customarily most tourism accommodation is locally owned and operated. Against a backdrop of increasingly foreign-owned large hotels and resorts, local families have built low-cost beach fale accommodation (consisting of thatched beach huts) in coastal locations. These beach fale, traditionally frequented by the backpacker market, are proving increasingly popular with visiting families from overseas. A major attraction at these beach fale is the local food experience. Yet, only a superficial understanding exists of the touristsâ perspective on food preferences and beach fale experiences, especially for families and their children. There have been several development research studies on fale operations but none on the growing international family tourism market. This article provides insights into the neglected family perspectives of social hospitality experiences at Samoan beach fale accommodation and to elicit the key elements of the emerging slow hospitality concept. This exploratory study is based on ten semi-structured whole-family group interviews conducted with New Zealand and Australian families (30 parents, grandparents and children [aged 7â17]). The findings support a trend towards families seeking more authentic, immersive and socially interactive experiences on holiday that are more akin to the local way of life or Faâasamoa. It emerged that beach fale tourism provides culturally, culinary, socially and sensually richer experiences as part of slow hospitality offerings for families. This study contributes to broader academic debates about whole-family perspectives on holiday, slow hospitality, beach fale accommodation, seaside or thalasso tourism and understandings of family well-being
Voicing the unspoken: Breaking through the barriers of mainstream institutionalized deafness to Pacific therapeutic practices
This paper explores the development of two significant crosscultural research projects in Pasifika psychology. Both projects were designed to speak into the âsilent spaceâ of unexplored Pasifika practices and needs in the field of mental health
Archaeology of Atafu, Tokelau: Some initial results from 2008
Surface survey, shovel testing, and stratigraphic excavations were done on Atafu Atoll in Tokelau during August 2008. Initial results suggest that Fale Islet has the most potential for further archaeological research. Dense cultural deposits on this islet are >1 m (39 in.) deep. Cultural material recovered includes food bone, fire-affected volcanic rock, tool-grade basalt flakes and tool fragments, Tridacna shell adzes, and pearl-shell fishhook fragments. Dog bone occurs from the earliest deposits through to the late prehistoric, while pig bone is found only in historic contexts. Fish bone is common throughout, and, with the exception of Tridacna, there are few edible mollusk remains. Initial EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence) analyses have found the basalt to be consistent with documented sources on Tutuila, Samoa. Basal radiocarbon dates from two excavation units are 660-540 cal. BP and 500-310 cal. BP (at 2Ď)
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