Today we’d like to introduce you to Alba Delgado

Hi Alba, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

It’s a very interesting story…I started working as a tour guide by chance. I had studied Political Science at university, and was doing a Master’s degree when I joined this world. I was looking for a part-time job while studying, and saw a job offer about ticket sales, so I applied, did the interview and started working.
A few months later, my boss asked me if I wanted to become a guide, because all the visitors were asking her if I could do the tours with them after I spoke to them about the tickets for the monuments; I had no idea about anything related to guiding, but I was encouraged by the tourists and my boss.
First step was to completely change my life plan, and focus in tourism and history instead…and after all these years, I am convinced I made the right choice.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It was a tough path, because to become a tour guide here in Spain, you need a professional license, and it’s usually easier to get it if you have a Tourism degree. Since I was not going back to do a full bachelor’s degree again, I decided to take a post-graduate course on Historical Heritage Interpretation and got a certificate as a Historical Heritage Interpreter. With this you cannot get the license either, but you can actually get the skills to take the official public examinations for Tour Guides…it was like a mini civil service exam, but about Tourism, History and Art History. So, I finally took it, and got my license… After working and learning so much about the history of my city, I was actually interested in going back to Uni to become even more specialized, so I am now doing a Master’s in Arts, Museums and Historical Heritage Management.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?

As a professional tour guide now, I specialize in historical heritage interpretation, which means that during the tours, I explain the historical context of the art and monuments that we see, and the relevance that they have not only for the history but also for us nowadays. My tours are more topic specific than other tours that you can find in Seville, for example, I have a Jewish History of Seville tour, that has been a great success, as well as the History of Women of Seville tour.
I also think that Sevilla as a city helps a lot with this, because it’s a city with vast history, so you can explain a wide range of topics, from Roman history, to the Expeditions to the Americas…everything happened in this city.
And well, not just historical events, but also traditions like Flamenco, Ceramic Art, literature (and operas), you can find everything here!

What does success mean to you?

I believe success is when you are happy with what you do for a living, you are somehow helping others to learn about new cultures and traditions, and of course, when all the hard work creates benefits so you can enjoy life.
My next step is a project for the city, but I cannot tell you anything else for now…I hope I can make it happen, and then my level of success will be completed! haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://altaiturismo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/altaiturismo/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@altaiturismosevilla1012

Image Credits
All images are mine.