PressTV - The switch will enable Samoa to move from the east of the International Date Line -- which runs through the middle of the Pacific -- to the west of it.
The move means that the island country will become one of the first places on Earth to experience the new day, December 31.
Before this, Samoa was 11 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and one of the last places on the planet to see the dawn.
According to Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, the measure makes business easier and opens up tourism opportunities as it brings the Pacific island nation in line with regional economic powerhouses Australia and New Zealand.
Before the time zone switch, Samoa was 23 hours behind Australasia and lost two commercial days a week with its main trading partners.
"While it’s Friday here, it’s Saturday in New Zealand and when we’re at church Sunday, they’re already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane [in Australia]," Tuilaepa said.
The New Zealand island territory Tokelau also skipped Friday and moved to the other side of the International Date Line.
MAB/HGL