NUS HOSTS REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DELEGATION FOR EU-FUNDED AGRI-TOURISM PROJECT – (Oct 10th, 2025)

[PRESS RELEASE Apia, Samoa] – The National University of Samoa welcomes a visiting delegation from Slovakia, Italy, Vanuatu and Fiji today as part of an ongoing EU funded research project on Agritourism Research Project. The AGRI-TOUR (Agritourism) Project aims to strengthen the capacity of EU-Pacific Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to promote the application of Green Deal Principles across the Pacific Island region. It seeks to enhance HEI curricula by fostering stronger synergies between agriculture and tourism, and by encouraging the adoption of agritourism practices throughout the Pacific.

The AGRI-TOUR partnerships comprises eight core partners and four newcomers, The eight core partners are, SUA – Slovenská Poľnohospodárska Univerzita v Nitre (Slovakia), UNISG – Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche (Italy), IVI – Igor Vitale International SRL (Italy), NUS – National University of Samoa (Samoa), USP – University of the South Pacific (Fiji), NUV – National University of Vanuatu (Vanuatu), FNU – Fiji National University (Fiji) and NEW EDU NO (Slovakia)

Vice Chancellor & President Afioga Professor Tuifuisa’a Patila Amosa and members of the NUS management team met with the group to discuss ongoing project activities and opportunities for collaboration under the Agritourism agenda. In her remarks, Professor Tuifuisa’a highlighted that the project aligns closely with NUS’s institutional pillar of community and stakeholder engagement, one of the university’s key strategic goals.

At the National University of Samoa, the AGRI-TOUR Project is coordinated by the Faculty of Science (FOS) in collaboration with the Faculty of Business and Entrepreneurship (FOBE). Over its three-year duration, concluding in 2027, the AGRI-TOUR Project will deliver the following core outcomes:

1. EU-Pacific Alliance HEI International Offices Task Force.

2. Joint Research Initiative.

3. Multidisciplinary Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

4. Internship Protocol.

The visit marks an important step in reinforcing NUS’s engagement in global research and aligns competently with its vision to advance in research and to contribute to Samoa and the Pacific’s development through evidence-based research.

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The National University of Samoa