We recently connected with Karen La Rosa and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, thanks for joining us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Most people have limited vacation time, and it is precious. Why then are people looking to cut corners at every turn, using third parties and faceless online services and algorithms to try to piece together this important time? The travel industry has countless tools to connect you to a form, to an impersonal tour, to autofill everything, and make you decide on your own what’s worth it or not.

I prefer an approach in which talking to clients, at least initially, enables me to learn a little about them, that then guides me to suggest and arrange things that will ultimately make them happiest. Every client is unique – it’s a family, a group of friends, a small or large group, a non-profit with a theme. Some travel 5-star, some are more budget friendly. They have individual needs and requests and those can be managed best with communication. It’s an enriching experience when I can talk with them about their ancestral home, send them to places that interest them and get them excited. Whether it is a yoga experience or a place where they can view contemporary art, ride mules, or immerse themselves in history, I can design a trip to address their interests. I can recommend programs, films, and books to read that will broaden their knowledge of the people, the history or architecture. It is an immersive approach, if they want that. Maybe they just want to go scuba diving or trekking, and that’s ok, too, but I can share recommendations and guides.

My 16 years of experience traveling and arranging travel in Sicily, means that I can offer them a very rich experience indeed. I know the lay of the land from one end to the other. I know farmers and professionals. I can use a client’s time efficiently and cost effectively. I prepare itineraries that have information particular to the client and helpful while they travel.

It’s old-school, perhaps, but I believe it adds a lot of value to have a tour operator who knows something very well. How can you do that with an autofill form and then be expected to pay handsomely for it? In a word, I’m a specialist.

Travel has 3 important parts, the planning, the visit, and the memory. In the end, I want to ensure that all of those parts are fun, helpful, and meaningful.

Karen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Sicily is my ancestry. That’s how it started, with photos, questions and stories about how and why my family left. It was a hard place after unification in 1861 and for a good long time after. Most of the riches went to the north, and the south was given the job of farming, so they were poor and there was corruption. Sicily has long fought a battle, a media-hyped battle, against a bad reputation, never allowing that things could evolve and change with the times. It prevented tourism from arriving to the island until pretty recently. I’d be rich if I had a nickel for every person that has said to me ‘I’ve been all over Italy, but never to Sicily. ‘
I saw what Sicily had to offer years ago – the stunning landscapes, the warmth in hospitality, the rich traditions, and very complex history, something from all the different people who arrived there since the time of the Phoenicians – a magical place. I wanted to share that, to help set the story straight. I wanted to show people what they were missing.
For 16 years, that’s been my goal.
I’ve arranged tours for thousands of people, including groups that I’ve accompanied, and have grown into a highly respected tour company with a knowledgeable voice for things Sicilian. I’ve written articles, done podcasts, wrote a chapter about Sicilian wine history. I’ve given talks about Sicily, and consulted on films and exhibits. I am dedicated and always working because I love what I do and I have never had to use paid advertising. Word of mouth referrals and recommendations are what has contributed to the growth of La RosaWorks and that’s really very validating.
Today, an important publication has cited Palermo as the most vibrant city in Europe, films and TV shows are using Sicily as a setting, Sicilian wines are talked about as fine and important. There are finally non-stop flights from the USA. These are all indications of very positive change. I would like to think that I have contributed something to that change.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I have a degree in Finance and went to Wall Street. I loved the business but as a woman at that time (’80’s), I realized it wasn’t a battle I wanted to fight. I turned to the kinder world of non-profit. I worked and served on boards for years. I was involved in campaigns and expansions. I put a lot of effort into several different arts and education organizations. I’ve always been good at organizing and am blessed with common sense. After the 3 kids went off to college, it was time to do something different, to get back into the main stream. Travel and Sicily was what I chose. I could not have chosen something more niche, but I wanted to give people memorable experiences, things that they’d talk about forever. I knew Sicily had a lot to offer and that it would be a surprise to most. I traveled, researched, talked to people, and took money from savings to start an LLC. It was never intended to be a hobby. I wanted a business and I wanted it to be mine.
It took time to grow but year over year, there was growth and I grew in tandem with general interest in Sicily. Trial and error is always part of the growth curve, but I’ve continued to add to my website, I grew a mail list to communicate with interested people, and today, I’m just about working at capacity. I have a part time assistant and someone else who helps with accounting things. It’s been a journey.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

It’s important to work alongside the clients and at their pace. Working in the service business requires some psychology. I had one client who traveled at the 5-star level but wanted to negotiate every price just so he could feel like he had the upper hand. I should have stood firm against his constant badgering.
I’ve had a few clients who requested all the information before agreeing to paying a deposit, and then took that information and booked much of their tour themselves. I should have insisted on the deposit as my way of doing business. Most people are not like that, but some have no scruples..
Being thoughtful and flexible is not a bad thing, but ultimately it’s important to understand your boundaries and not compromise your ultimate goals. I guess it took time to develop the confidence to let people know that the service I provide is valuable and unique. Once I was more comfortable, it made everything easier.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://larosaworks.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larosaworkssicily/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LaRosaWorksSicily
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larosaworks/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@larosaworkssicilytourstrav1621

Image Credits

Karen La Rosa