The interview of Alfonso Guzman, Receptour Guide

Mexican by birth, Alfonso made Canada his home many years ago. He has been guiding with passion and enthusiasm for over 30 years. He engaged alternatively for Receptour and its group tours, but also for its sister brand Think Incentive and its corporate tours. Meet a man for whom the word “loyalty” means a lot!

Hello Alfonso! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions. Can you tell us more about your professional background?

My interest in guiding began in 1989, when I was driving a minibus for Moreno Tours in Toronto. It was an incoming tour operator focusing on the Mexican market. I was a driver and spent my day witnessing the guide’s beautiful relationship with the travelers, listening to their explanations and traveling through the different cities of Eastern Canada. After a while, it all got too much for me, and I decided to take the plunge and prepare to become a guide. Today, I’ve been guiding for over 30 years, and it’s a profession I’m still passionate about.

How did the adventure with Receptour begin?

I started working with Receptour in 2009. Back then, when they needed local guides in Toronto, they would ask Moreno Tours. My first opportunity with Receptour came when I met Patricia Oca. She had a group of Spanish pharmacists who had come to Toronto for a medical conference and needed a guide for all transfers, dinners and city tours. Naturally, I agreed. Patricia really liked my work and, from then on, she started calling me all the time for the Spanish groups she had traveling in Eastern Canada. It became my specialty! (laughs).

Do you work with them every season?

Not every season, especially in winter. Since Receptour’s guaranteed departures are bilingual in the group’s language, and I unfortunately don’t speak Italian, I can’t be there every time. Fortunately, I never go far! I work for private corporate groups with Receptour’s sister brand, Think Incentive. It’s really the same company, just not the same audience and traveler specialty.

What aspect of being a guide do you enjoy most?

Without a doubt, sharing!
I love helping travelers discover this beautiful country and sharing with them all my knowledge of the destination. What’s more, it’s a real opportunity and a great pleasure to meet people from other countries and discover their culture. When you’re a guide, you receive travellers, but you also travel through them.

With all your years of experience behind you, what advice would you give to a young person wishing to become a guide?

Having been that person, I’d say prepare well, study hard, whatever the circumstances. Of course, a guide can’t know every corner of his country by heart, but it’s part of our mission to be a force of knowledge. Tourists really appreciate having a guide who can pass on his or her knowledge of the destination. It’s even an expectation on their part.

Then, the second thing I recommend is to always be ready to help travelers and to have a lot of patience. It’s essential not to forget that we’re at their service, and that we’re their point of reference throughout their stay.

Is there a business trip that has particularly impressed you?

It was an Incentive trip, in 2019, just before the health crisis. I was lucky enough to accompany a Mexican food company on this winter reward trip. I was very impressed by the organization and the type of activities on offer. The destinations visited were Toronto and Blue Mountain, with an excursion to Niagara. Participants attended an NBA basketball game, played ice hockey, took skiing lessons and flew over Niagara Falls in a helicopter before landing at a vineyard for ice wine tasting and lunch. The organization was impeccable and each activity was enhanced with personalized details for the participants. I really enjoyed accompanying these travelers.
I was as blown away as my group! (laughs).

It’s often said that each guide has his or her own particular sensibility and interests, which he or she brings to the group. How would you define your “signature”, your trademark?

I’ve been sailing in Eastern Canada for 30 years, so without claiming to know everything, I can say that I’m well-informed about the destination!
I think I can be proud of my friendliness and joviality at all times. When groups leave with me, they can be sure of bringing back excellent memories of the country. In any case, I put a lot of will and heart into my work.

Which Receptour tour do you find easy to do over and over again?

That’s a tough question!
The tour that goes from Toronto to the Charlevoix region, via the Thousand Islands, Ottawa, Montreal, Mont-Tremblant and Quebec City, that’s my favorite itinerary. You see so many different landscapes, and it’s beautiful in all seasons.
Beyond the itinerary, I really appreciate certain typically Quebecois activities, such as the meal at the Sugar Shack. It’s always a joyful and convivial moment with the group.

Do you have any advice for travelers to help them get the most out of their trip?

Punctuality: it’s important to keep to the schedule in order to achieve the objective of the trip.
I know that people are on vacation and that we’re not on a military rhythm (laughs). However, travelers need to keep in mind that timing and scheduling are crucial. When we travel as a group, there’s an operations team at Receptour who have taken care to optimize the itinerary. Everything is thought out to see and do as much as possible, in the most pleasant way possible.I also recommend that they listen carefully to the explanations, because at the end of the trip, what they’ll remember are the memories and the knowledge of the destination.

What are the essential qualities of a guide?

Leadership, knowledge of the destination, organization, presence, empathy, willingness and lots of patience!

What has been your most memorable personal trip?

I’ll never get tired of going to Spain.
It’s a country that offers magnificent sites and excellent gastronomy. What’s more, the Spaniards are very cheerful.

How do you approach managing a group of 50 people VS managing 10 people?

Whether the group is large or small, I give them the same importance and always try to offer a personalized service. With small groups, time management is easier to control than with large groups. As I mentioned earlier, this is an important criterion for a successful stay.
However, in my experience, small groups are sometimes more demanding than large ones. It’s always different, and that’s the charm of being a guide.

Do you have a general travel philosophy?

I’m always open to others and welcome new discoveries.
Keeping an open mind when traveling, whatever the destination, is essential.

Alfonso, I’ve just been told that your wife Bertha is also a guide….

That’s right!
What goes around, comes around, right? (laughs).

Thank you, Alfonso. Before closing this interview, I’ll leave you with the last word…

I’d like to thank Receptour for giving me the opportunity to work with them year after year.
It’s a very professional company, which takes great care to provide quality service in all the trips it organizes.

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