Giovanni Ganelli is in Samoa for business.

But one of the best things about his visit is that he has also been able to experience Samoan life and Samoan hospitality.

Mr. Ganelli and his team are in Samoa for the International Monetary Fund and Government of Samoa Article 4 Consultations.

Away from the meetings, they are impressed by the genuineness of the Samoan people.

“We also had some time to enjoy the culture and some hospitality of the Samoans and it was really good,” he said.

Mr. Ganelli learned that Samoa has a lot to offer in terms of tourism, not only the beaches but also the culture and the food.

“We’ve experienced the deliciousness of the coconut cream and as well as the umu cooking.”

He said he would always be happy to promote Samoa to the outside world so that more and more visitors like himself can come to enjoy this place.

Getting back to the agenda of the trip, he said their group has been meeting with government officials from the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Samoa and representatives of the private sector.  

“The main finding of the consultation was that the Samoan economy is showing resilience so we expect the growth to recover and to be higher in the next fiscal year,” he said.

Mr. Ganelli and his team are from Washington DC, United States of America.