Over the next six months (January - June) American Samoa will host 12 cruise ships, welcoming over 25,000 tourists and 9,000 crew members to our shores. We should expect the Fagatogo historic district to be quite busy as gift shop vendors, tour operators, taxis and buses congregate to welcome our guests and share the beauty of our island.
According the American Samoa Visitor's Bureau, there are 18 cruise ships scheduled to call to port in Pago Pago in 2020. In total, approximately 40,000 tourists and 15,000 crew will visit American Samoa this year. This is great to see, however this number pales in comparison with other South Pacific destinations. In 2018, 55 cruise ships were scheduled to pull into port at Papeete, Tahiti. Fiji was scheduled to receive 130 cruise ship visits. Our numbers are great, especially compared to what they were 10 years ago (six ships in 2009!). But there is still a great deal of work ahead. Let's remember to put our best foot forward to make our guests feel welcome when they arrive.