The President of the Pago Pago Visitors Association has recommended that American Samoa's Visitors Bureau makes it a priority to join the South Pacific Travel Organisation for better representation in the New Zealand and Australian tourist markets.
American Samoa was once a member of the SPTO, which is the main grouping of government and private sector tourism bureaus in the South Pacific and has its headquarters in Fiji.
Tom Drabble says membership in the SPTO brings benefits such as representation in all major travel conventions and estimates that 80 per cent of South Pacific travel originates from the New Zealand and Australian markets.
