Regional Tourism & Conservation Training Programme
Regional Tourism Training Programme: Empowering Local Guides & Marine Stewards
A New Vision for Sustainable Local Employment
We have a unique opportunity to help the unemployed youth of regional Samoa gain sustainable employment without the financial burden associated with moving to the city. Our program is a holistic solution that combines economic opportunity with certified environmental stewardship.
The youth of each area will eventually run stand-up paddleboard tours of their customary land (bays, mangroves, and rivers), telling the stories only a local could or should tell. Apart from providing much-needed income to these villages, the tours will become a vehicle for marine conservation.
As well as practical experience, the trainees will now have the opportunity to gain a formal qualification in Tour Guiding combined with expert training in Marine Habitat Conservation.
Initially, I will run the tours via Samoa SUP Tours whilst training. When the trainees have sufficient skills and confidence, they will run the tours alone. Eventually, we would like to have boards stationed at different locations so the guides are able to take tours outside of the regular scheduled time-slots.
Meet Your Trainer: Our Commitment to Dual-Expertise
This training is founded on a new level of professional commitment to ensure we deliver the highest standard in both tourism and conservation.
As an experienced tourism and hospitality professional, qualified trainer, and administrator, I've always been equipped to lead the business and guide development side of our social enterprise.
For years, my initial plan was to find a certified paddle guide partner—someone to lead the SUP skills training while I managed the operations and community programs. That partnership proved elusive. After an extensive search, I made a clear decision: it has to be me.
If I am going to lead the full scope of this program, I am committed to doing it to the highest possible standard. This is why I have personally enrolled in the Diploma of Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration. This intensive academic foundation ensures our program is not just a job opportunity, but a best-in-class educational pathway guided by professional, verifiable expertise in both sustainable tourism and marine ecology.
The Problem: Youth Unemployment & The Solution
The Problem: Youth Unemployment in Regional Samoa
There is a high rate of youth unemployment in regional Samoa. There is also a difficulty for youth in these areas to gain further education.
For those that move to the city (Apia), wages are very low, with the minimum wage being SAT$2.50 an hour or around AUD$1.30. Cost of living is not much different to Australia or NZ. People can survive on low wages if living on family/customary land – mainly in the villages in regional areas. However, many simply cannot afford to move to Apia for vocational training or even to seek employment.
A Solution: Local Tour Guide Training – Private Partnership
Some tourism operations in regional areas provide employment to those that live in the immediate vicinity of the hotel/resort, etc. However, they are concentrated in a few areas.
On the other hand, there are many more places that offer secluded bays, rivers, and mangroves that are not currently protected or visited – places that are perfect for stand-up paddleboard tours and hands-on conservation education.
What we want to do is provide comprehensive training to the youth of these villages so in time they can become the tour guides and marine stewards. Hence expanding the regions where youth can gain training AND employment. The training would be at no cost to the trainee.
The Dual-Focus Training Curriculum
Our training is free to the trainee and is built around two key streams of expertise:
Stream 1: Professional Tourism & Paddle SkillsStream 2: Certified Marine Conservation & EcologyThe training will be based toward the Samoa Qualification Level 2 in Tourism (Tour Guiding), which is around the equivalent of Australian Certificate III.Trainees receive training with a foundation in the Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration, focusing on the critical ecosystems they manage.
Trainees learn Professional Guiding, cultural interpretation (Fa'a Samoa), customer service, and basic administration.Trainees learn Mangrove and Coastal Ecology, restoration techniques, and how to effectively translate scientific information into engaging tour narratives.
Trainees will also learn basic first aid and water safety.Trainees become local stewards committed to monitoring and protecting their marine customary lands.
In a nutshell:
What We Need: Equipment to Launch the Programme
The training materials, administration, and qualifications will be self-funded by myself at no cost to the trainee. I have the know-how, and I will put in the time and expertise to make this project a leader in regional sustainability.
We don’t have enough boards. We need boards to take to these locations, run the tours, and give the training. Any funds raised through this platform will be for the sole purpose of purchasing boards. The boards required are robust, very stable, and of high quality. As such they are expensive at around AUD$1200, not including shipping, duty, and taxes.
Each extra board could mean 1-5 youth not having to leave their home and family to receive training or employment.
More About Geoff Cullen - Programme Co-ordinator
For those that don't know me, I thought I should put a little down about my background in Tourism and my time here in Samoa; as written by a good friend and colleague.
"In Australia, Geoff was Assistant Manager at Tangalooma Island Resort and held contracts with the QLD Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), Outback QLD Tourism Association (OQTA), and the Australian College of Outback Tourism.
With just over 8 years based in Samoa, Geoff has worked with the Australia Pacific Technical College (APTC), Samoa Qualifications Authority (SQA), Samoa Tourism Authority (STA), Samoa Hotels Association (SHA), and Savaii Samoa Tourism Association (SSTA).
Volunteer roles in Samoa include: Event Manager of the inaugural Alo PaoPao Festival, Logistics and Stage Manager for the Samoana Jazz Festival, Event Manager of the Stan Walker ‘Dream Big’ concert, and co-founder of the Faletalimalo Siva Afi Challenge.
A past Vice President of the Animal Protection Society (APS) of Samoa, current board member of the Martin Hautus Institute of Learning Samoa, and foundation member of the Volunteer Emergency Response Team Samoa (VERTS); Geoff is well known in Samoa’s Hospitality and Tourism sector and a respected member of the community."
Thank you/Fa'afatai tele lave.
A New Vision for Sustainable Local Employment
We have a unique opportunity to help the unemployed youth of regional Samoa gain sustainable employment without the financial burden associated with moving to the city. Our program is a holistic solution that combines economic opportunity with certified environmental stewardship.
The youth of each area will eventually run stand-up paddleboard tours of their customary land (bays, mangroves, and rivers), telling the stories only a local could or should tell. Apart from providing much-needed income to these villages, the tours will become a vehicle for marine conservation.
As well as practical experience, the trainees will now have the opportunity to gain a formal qualification in Tour Guiding combined with expert training in Marine Habitat Conservation.
Initially, I will run the tours via Samoa SUP Tours whilst training. When the trainees have sufficient skills and confidence, they will run the tours alone. Eventually, we would like to have boards stationed at different locations so the guides are able to take tours outside of the regular scheduled time-slots.
Meet Your Trainer: Our Commitment to Dual-Expertise
This training is founded on a new level of professional commitment to ensure we deliver the highest standard in both tourism and conservation.
As an experienced tourism and hospitality professional, qualified trainer, and administrator, I've always been equipped to lead the business and guide development side of our social enterprise.
For years, my initial plan was to find a certified paddle guide partner—someone to lead the SUP skills training while I managed the operations and community programs. That partnership proved elusive. After an extensive search, I made a clear decision: it has to be me.
If I am going to lead the full scope of this program, I am committed to doing it to the highest possible standard. This is why I have personally enrolled in the Diploma of Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration. This intensive academic foundation ensures our program is not just a job opportunity, but a best-in-class educational pathway guided by professional, verifiable expertise in both sustainable tourism and marine ecology.
The Problem: Youth Unemployment & The Solution
The Problem: Youth Unemployment in Regional Samoa
There is a high rate of youth unemployment in regional Samoa. There is also a difficulty for youth in these areas to gain further education.
For those that move to the city (Apia), wages are very low, with the minimum wage being SAT$2.50 an hour or around AUD$1.30. Cost of living is not much different to Australia or NZ. People can survive on low wages if living on family/customary land – mainly in the villages in regional areas. However, many simply cannot afford to move to Apia for vocational training or even to seek employment.
A Solution: Local Tour Guide Training – Private Partnership
Some tourism operations in regional areas provide employment to those that live in the immediate vicinity of the hotel/resort, etc. However, they are concentrated in a few areas.
On the other hand, there are many more places that offer secluded bays, rivers, and mangroves that are not currently protected or visited – places that are perfect for stand-up paddleboard tours and hands-on conservation education.
What we want to do is provide comprehensive training to the youth of these villages so in time they can become the tour guides and marine stewards. Hence expanding the regions where youth can gain training AND employment. The training would be at no cost to the trainee.
The Dual-Focus Training Curriculum
Our training is free to the trainee and is built around two key streams of expertise:
Stream 1: Professional Tourism & Paddle SkillsStream 2: Certified Marine Conservation & EcologyThe training will be based toward the Samoa Qualification Level 2 in Tourism (Tour Guiding), which is around the equivalent of Australian Certificate III.Trainees receive training with a foundation in the Marine Habitat Conservation and Restoration, focusing on the critical ecosystems they manage.
Trainees learn Professional Guiding, cultural interpretation (Fa'a Samoa), customer service, and basic administration.Trainees learn Mangrove and Coastal Ecology, restoration techniques, and how to effectively translate scientific information into engaging tour narratives.
Trainees will also learn basic first aid and water safety.Trainees become local stewards committed to monitoring and protecting their marine customary lands.
In a nutshell:
- Trainees get free, high-quality, dual-focused training and great hands-on experience, all based around their local area.
- Trainees have an opportunity to gain employment and become environmental leaders in their local area
What We Need: Equipment to Launch the Programme
The training materials, administration, and qualifications will be self-funded by myself at no cost to the trainee. I have the know-how, and I will put in the time and expertise to make this project a leader in regional sustainability.
We don’t have enough boards. We need boards to take to these locations, run the tours, and give the training. Any funds raised through this platform will be for the sole purpose of purchasing boards. The boards required are robust, very stable, and of high quality. As such they are expensive at around AUD$1200, not including shipping, duty, and taxes.
Each extra board could mean 1-5 youth not having to leave their home and family to receive training or employment.
More About Geoff Cullen - Programme Co-ordinator
For those that don't know me, I thought I should put a little down about my background in Tourism and my time here in Samoa; as written by a good friend and colleague.
"In Australia, Geoff was Assistant Manager at Tangalooma Island Resort and held contracts with the QLD Tourism Industry Council (QTIC), Outback QLD Tourism Association (OQTA), and the Australian College of Outback Tourism.
With just over 8 years based in Samoa, Geoff has worked with the Australia Pacific Technical College (APTC), Samoa Qualifications Authority (SQA), Samoa Tourism Authority (STA), Samoa Hotels Association (SHA), and Savaii Samoa Tourism Association (SSTA).
Volunteer roles in Samoa include: Event Manager of the inaugural Alo PaoPao Festival, Logistics and Stage Manager for the Samoana Jazz Festival, Event Manager of the Stan Walker ‘Dream Big’ concert, and co-founder of the Faletalimalo Siva Afi Challenge.
A past Vice President of the Animal Protection Society (APS) of Samoa, current board member of the Martin Hautus Institute of Learning Samoa, and foundation member of the Volunteer Emergency Response Team Samoa (VERTS); Geoff is well known in Samoa’s Hospitality and Tourism sector and a respected member of the community."
Thank you/Fa'afatai tele lave.
