Samoa saw an increase in tourism earnings for the month of March, while private remittances dropped for the month.
The latest Tourism and Remittances Report from the Central Bank of Samoa shows that tourist arrivals were just over 9,000, a 25 percent increase from the previous month.
The higher arrivals in the month under review reflected increases in all the main source markets, particularly, Australia and New Zealand, though there was a drop in travelers from the United States.
Samoa hosted several regional conferences and workshops during March and total tourism revenues rose 22 percent to 23.58 million tala; 7 percent higher than the same time last year.
The point four percent drop in private remittances can be attributed to a weakened Australian dollar, and economic conditions in the USA.
