This blog post was updated on October 30, 2018.
Tourism officials in Samoa have expressed some concerns over the nation’s plan to skip December 30, 2011 and jump over the International Date Line.
The nation will tinker with calendars and clocks this weekend in a move that will align its date and time more closely with nearby Australia and New Zealand.
Doing so will allow for easier business transactions between the close countries. While the reasons for the “time travel” are practical, tourism officials fear an unintended consequence.
Right now, Samoa is touted as the last place on Earth to witness the sunset. After the time change, it will lose out on that distinction.
On the flip side, it will become the first place to see the sunrise. Despite its new claim to fame, Samoan officials fear losing out on prospective honeymooners seeking an endless sunset.
Source: USA Today
CC Flickr photo credit: Jorge Price
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