Samoa fears "second tsunami" on tourism

       Samoa's tourism industry said it fears a "second tsunami" of holiday cancellations after deadly earthquaketriggered waves wiped out some of the South Pacific country's most idyllic whitesand beaches and resorts.
       Tourism is Samoa's largest industry,and travel industry representatives visiting the main island's wrecked southeast coast said on Friday about one-quarter of the tourist accommodations had been destroyed.
       Nynette Sass, chief executive of the Samoa Hotel Association, said the industry was alarmed by anecdotal reports of mass holiday cancellations since Tuesday's disaster.
       "If substantial numbers of tourists start cancelling, that will be like having a second tsunami on us," Ms Sass said.The industry accounts for 25% of the country's gross domestic product, she said.
       The death toll rose to 170, including 129 in Samoa,32 in the nearby US territory of American Samoa and nine in Tonga.
       Electricity and water services were restored in about half of the affected villages in Samoa and American Samoa,and residents tried to return to what was left of their lives.
       Samoan tourist industry representatives said the damage on the southeast coastline of the main island of Upolu included four resorts and more than 20 family operations that rented simple traditional huts, known as fale .Ms Sass said many travellers did not realise the tsunami devastated a relatively small part of the coast, though the worst-hit beach area, between the villages of Saleapaga and Lalomanu, was widely regarded by tourists as the most beautiful.
       "It's sad that we've had to try to convince people that it's not the whole country that's flooded, infrastructure is still in place and the cleanup is going really fast," she said.
       Ms Sass said government assistance would be vital to rebuilding a tourism industry that is worth 300 million Samoan tala (4.3 billion baht) a year.
       More pressing, however, was residents'survival.
       American Samoa Governor Togiola Tulafono said the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) would establish an office where displaced residents can get housing assistance.
       Officials said the focus is shifting from saving lives to providing survivors with food, water and power.
       Ken Tingman, Fema's federal coordinating officer, said that doesn't mean the missing are being given up for dead.
       "You never lose hope," he said.Mr Tingman expected almost all of the territory to have power from generators within three to five days.
       Taule'alea Laavasa, chairman of the Samoan government's National Disaster Advisory Committee, said relief work was going well with the help of neighbours including New Zealand and Australia.
       But many survivors refused to return to their villages.
       "They're scared; a lot of them have been psychologically affected by seeing their relations die in huge numbers,"Mr Laavasa said.