Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Assignment Title Food and Beverage Adviser Country Samoa Location Apia Partner Organisation Samoa Tourism Authority Accountable to Chief Executive Reporting to Various Conference and Festival Managers 3450 1. ASSIGNMENT PURPOSE Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) and VSA would like Food and Beverage Events Manager to help ensure that Samoa hosts a successful Teuila Festival and United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS Conference), increasing the positive profile of Samoa as a tourism and conference destination. 2. ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES AND INDICATORS Objective Quality food and beverages are available at all times during the Teuila Festival. Activities Staff and food vendors receive training in food preparation, safe food handling and food and beverage service Monitor the food court area of the Festival regularly and provide on the spot advice as required Clients are surveyed on their food and beverage experience Indicators Training record shows people trained Feedback from surveys is positive Personal specifications Essential Significant relevant experience in food and beverage provision, supervision and training Ability to work under tight schedules Effective verbal and written communication skills Strong leadership skills Strong organisational and coordination skills Computer literate including Microsoft Office As needs on the ground may change over time, the volunteer on arrival is encouraged to review and update the assignment in consultation with the partner organisation and the VSA Programme Manager. 3. REPORTING AND WORKING RELATIONSHIPS The volunteer will report to the CEO, STA but will report directly to managers within STA and other organisers. They will work alongside local staff, food and beverage providers, volunteers, contractors, visitors and conference participants. 4. SKILLS EXCHANGE/TRANSFER Skills exchange will occur as formal training or on-the-job teaching. 5. TERMS AND CONDITIONS Residency status VSA volunteers must be New Zealand citizens or have New Zealand permanent residency status, and preferably have lived in New Zealand for at least two years. Partner Organisation The volunteer's partner organisation will be the Samoa Tourism Authority. Length of Assignment These assignments are for a period of 5 months. There is some flexibility in timing given the short lead-in time to recruitment and deployment. Pre-departure briefing As part of our contract, the volunteer will be required to take part in a pre-departure course run by VSA in Wellington from July 16-19. Special arrangements may also be considered in certain circumstances. Final Appointment Final appointment will be subject to satisfactory medical and immigration clearances, partner organisation acceptance, and successful completion of the VSA Briefing Course. Family Status Single status. Vaccination Requirements Potential volunteers are advised that VSA’s insurers require volunteers to be inoculated, prior to departure, in accordance with the instructions of VSA’s medical adviser. Volunteer Package The volunteer’s package includes the following: Living Allowance The volunteer will receive a living allowance of NZD 37 per day. Accommodation 2 Basic, furnished accommodation will be provided. Volunteers may need to share with another volunteer due to limited availability during the SIDS Conference and Teuila Festival. Airfares and baggage allowance The volunteer will be provided with economy airfares at the beginning and end of the assignment. Insurance VSA will provide insurance to cover baggage and personal property, and medical and additional expenses. Attachments Appendix 1. BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT Appendix 2. LIVING AND WORKING SITUATION 3 Appendix 1. BACKGROUND TO THE ASSIGNMENT The Third United Nations Conference on Small Island Developing States The Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States will be held from 1 to 4 September 2014 in Apia, Samoa. The SIDS Conference will focus the world's attention on a group of countries that remain a special case for sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities. The overarching theme of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States is "The sustainable development of small island developing states through genuine and durable partnerships". This conference will be one of the largest events ever held in Samoa and will attract 3,000 delegates from 193 countries. It will also focus international media on Samoa and give it an opportunity to showcase itself as a tourist and conference destination. The conference itself will be centred at the Faleata Sports Complex in Apia and construction, including a media centre, is expected to be completed on schedule. A Government Taskforce has been set up to oversee the organisation of the conference. www.sids2014.org www.facebook.com/SAMOASIDS www.sidssamoa2014.ws/ Teuila Festival The Teuila Festival is an arts, culture and food festival held annually in Samoa. In 2014, the festival is to be held at the same time as the SIDS Conference to maximise the exposure of Samoan culture to international visitors and media. Festival activities will include a choral exhibition, traditional Siva Samoa and contemporary dance competitions, Chief's Fiafia Polynesian spectacular, Ailao Afi/Fire Knife dancing, Umu (Samoan ground oven), tattooing and carving demonstrations, Miss Samoa Pageant and many other events. https://www.facebook.com/TeuilaFestival http://www.teuilafestivalsamoa.com/ Samoa Tourism Authority The Statutory Body was originally called the Samoa Visitors Bureau when it was first established in 1986 following the passing of the Samoa Visitors Bureau Act in 1984. In 2002 the entity's name changed to the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA). The STA has nearly 70 staff working in five main divisions: the Marketing & Promotion Unit, Planning & Development Unit, Finance and Corporate Services Unit, Policy and Advice Unit and its Research & Statistic Unit. The Authority's mission is to “ensure the achievement of quality sustainable tourism that is beneficial for Samoa and delivers a satisfying premier Samoan Experience for tourists.” Focus of these assignments Volunteer assignments will work alongside local staff and organisers to help ensure that the SIDS Conference and Teuila Festival are successful events that leave visitors and media with a positive impression of Samoa and promote Samoa as a tourist and conference destination. 4 Appendix 2. LIVING AND WORKING SITUATION Working situation The Samoa Tourism Authority is located in the heart of Apia Town and is housed in the Government Complex known as the Fiame Naomi II Building on the ground floor. Its marketing unit is housed in the STA Fale with the Samoa Hotels Association near the city centre and harbour. Both offices are very close to all available services and also to accommodation. Generally work starts at 9 and finishes at 5, however, leading up to and during the SIDS Conference and Teuila Festival, hours are likely to be less regular and more priority focussed. The office has four standard uniforms that are worn Monday to Thursday and this is normally provided for volunteers and new recruits. Ladies are required to wear a sei (flower) and men an ula (lei). On Fridays staff are allowed to wear any work-appropriate clothing. Living situation The Apia CBD has the usual amenities to serve the local people. It has a post office, banking services with ATMs that accept international bank cards, cafes and restaurant. It is also serviced by an international airport at Faleolo (40 to 50 minutes drive from the CBD). Samoan currency is tala (dollar) and sene (cents). Apia is an attractive town surrounded by many small urbanised villages spreading west down the coast. The climate is warm all the year round with a hotter wetter season occurring from November to April. Drier and comparatively cooler weather occurs in the remaining months. The temperature ranges from 20 to 38c, depending on the time of year and location. The windward shores of Samoa get about 5000mm of rain each year but the capital, Apia, receives only about 2900mm. Samoa lies squarely in the notorious cyclone belt of the South Pacific and has received a number of devastating blows over the years, including two very destructive cyclones, ‘Ofa’ and ‘Val’, in the early nineties. The national hospital in Apia is well equipped to deal with tropical diseases and minor injuries, however, the health budget does not stretch to include the equipment and expertise available in New Zealand. There are mosquitoes and the odd outbreak of dengue and typhoid, but no malaria. INTRODUCTION TO SAMOA Samoa lies in the heart of the Pacific. Western religion has been incorporated into Samoan tradition since the early 19th Century and forms an important and strong part of daily life. Migrants from Southeast Asia arrived in the Samoan islands more than 2,000 years ago and from there settled the rest of Polynesia further to the east. Contact with Europeans began in the early 1700s but did not intensify until the arrival of English missionaries and traders in the 1830s. At the turn of the 20th century, the Samoan islands were split into two sections. The eastern islands became territories of the United States in 1904 and today are known as American Samoa. The western islands became known as Western Samoa (now the Independent State of Samoa), passing from German control to New Zealand in 1914. New Zealand administered Western Samoa under the auspices of the League of Nations and then as a UN trusteeship until independence on the 1st January 1962 (celebrated on 1st June every year). Western Samoa was the first Pacific Island country to gain its independence. In July 1997 the Constitution was amended to change the country's name from Western Samoa to Samoa (officially the "Independent State of Samoa"). Western Samoa had been known simply as Samoa in the United Nations, since joining the organisation in 1976. Since independence, Samoa has operated on a British based parliamentary system which has been revised to accommodate local customs. Each village is comprised of extended families 5 headed by a chief called a matai. In 1990 universal suffrage was adopted but up until then only matai were allowed to vote in elections. Matai (who can be male or female) represent the family on the village council. As this council is responsible for law enforcement in their village, discord can occur between the traditional system and the western legal system which is followed by national government. The Fa'a Samoa, or traditional Samoan way, remains a strong force in Samoan life and politics. Despite centuries of European influence, Samoa maintains its historical customs, social systems, and language, which is believed to be the oldest form of Polynesian speech still in existence. Samoa consists of the two large islands of Upolu and Savaii and seven small islets (an area of 2,934 sq. km) located about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand in the Polynesian region of the South Pacific. The highest peak in Savaii is Mt Silisili which rises to 1850 metres. Samoa has a population of 188,359 (2008 census) made up of 92.6% Samoans, 7% mixed European and Polynesian) and 0.4% European. The main religions in Samoa are Christian (98.9%). The official languages are Samoan and English. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population and its capital city of Apia. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from November to April. Samoa operates on a predominantly informal economy, with only 18% of the population formally employed in a salaried position. The Samoan economy is dependent on agricultural exports, tourism, and capital flows from abroad. The effects of three natural disasters in the early 1990s were overcome by the mid-1990s, but economic growth cooled again with the regional economic downturn and the September 29, 2009 Pacific tsunami, which devastated many of Samoa’s tourist resorts and connecting roads. Long-term development depends upon repairing and upgrading the tourist infrastructure, attracting foreign investment, and further diversification of the economy. In the early 1990s, Samoa’s economy suffered blows from two consecutive cyclones (Cyclone Ofa in 1990 and Cyclone Valerie in 1991) and an outbreak of taro leaf blight (a root crop which is the staple food and was the largest export). The government responded to these shocks with a major programme of road building and post-cyclone infrastructure repair. Economic reforms were stepped up, including the liberalisation of exchange controls. GDP growth rebounded to over 6% in both 1995 and 1996 before slowing again at the end of the decade. The primary sector (agriculture, forestry, and fishing) employs less than 2% of the labour force and produces 3.6% of GDP. Important products include coconuts and fish. The service sector accounts for about three-quarters of GDP and employs approximately 50% of the labour force. Tourism is the largest single activity, more than doubling in visitor numbers and revenue over the last decade. In 2009, Samoa’s tourism industry encountered major obstacles, namely the global financial crisis and the devastation of the September 29 tsunami. The tsunami ravaged 25% of Upolu Island’s south and south-eastern coast, which housed some prime resorts and beach fale (house). This, however, did not undermine the booming industry, with tourism arrivals increasing to more than 128,000 in 2009 and contributing over $120.8 million to the local economy. The tourism industry started rebuilding a week after the devastation, making use of subsidies and concessional loan assistance from the Samoan, New Zealand, and Australian Governments. Some hotels have since reopened and others are in the process of rebuilding. Industry accounts for about 13% of GDP while employing less than 6% of the work force. The largest industrial venture is Yazaki Samoa, a Japanese-owned company processing automotive components for export to Australia under a concessional market-access arrangement. The Yazaki plant employs more than 2,000 workers and contributes over 20% of the manufacturing sector's total output. New Zealand is Samoa's principal trading partner, typically providing between 35 and 40% of imports and purchasing 45 to 50% of exports. The growing number of Asian-owned businesses in Samoa has led to increasing trade with Hong Kong and Japan. Australia, the United States, including American Samoa, and Fiji, are also 6 important trading partners. Samoa's principal exports are coconut products, nonu fruit, and fish. Its main imports are food and beverages, industrial supplies, and fuels. The collapse of taro exports in 1994 has had the unintended effect of modestly diversifying Samoa's export products and markets. Prior to the taro leaf blight, Samoa's exports consisted of taro ($1.1 million), coconut cream ($540,000), and "other" ($350,000). Ninety percent of exports went to the Pacific region, and only 1% went to Europe. Forced to look for alternatives to taro, Samoa's exporters have dramatically increased the production of copra, coconut oil, and fish. These three products, which combined to produce export revenue of less than $100,000 in 1993, now account for over $6.7 million. There also has been a relative shift from Pacific markets to European ones, which now receive nearly 15% of Samoa's exports. These exports are still concentrated in fish ($5.8 million), nonu fruit products ($3.27 million), and coconut products ($0.9 million worth of copra, copra meal, coconut oil, and coconut cream), but are at least somewhat more diverse than before. Samoa annually receives important financial assistance from abroad. The more than 100,000 Samoans who live overseas provide two sources of revenue. Their direct remittances have amounted to $128.2 million per year recently (about 24% of GDP), and they account for more than half of all tourist visits. In addition to the expatriate community, Samoa also receives more than $28 million annually in official bilateral development assistance from China, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. These three sources of revenue tourism, private transfers, and official transfers, allow Samoa to cover its persistently large trade deficit. In March 2006, the United Nations reviewed Samoa's status as a Least Developed Country and recommended graduation into Developing Country status. Samoa has sought a review of the decision on grounds of economic and environment vulnerability, although graduation may improve Samoa's international ratings for investment risk. 7