The meeting of Pacific tourism ministers in Samoa has endorsed American Samoa becoming the 17th member of the South Pacific Tourism Organisation.
The American Samoa governor, Lolo Matalasi Moliga and the territory's tourism chief, David Vaeafe, are at the meeting chaired by Samoa's prime minister and tourism minister, Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi.
American Samoa was one of the founding members of the organisation but left it in the 1980s.
At the meeting, Tuilaepa has urged tourism ministers to demonstrate a strong commitment to continuing to develop the industry, both as a major contributor to the Pacific Plan and to the sustainable economic development of island countries.
