Palatial Gardens - The Knights' Legacy Shore Excursion

'Follow Your Passion and You Will Never Work a Day in Your Life'. This may sound like a cliché but it reflects my philosophy towards tourist guiding which has been an integral part of my life for the past 26 years. Since completing my initial two-year course at the Institute of Tourism Studies back in 1997, I've had the privilege of meeting thousands of travellers from different countries, both individuals and groups. To this day, the most satisfying aspect of my job is the excellent feedback I regularly receive from my guests about their memorable experience during their stay on the Maltese islands, making new friends in the process. My enthusiasm to improve my knowledge and experience in pursuit of an enhanced and authentic tourist experience spurred me to keep learning new languages, seek new experiences and pursue educational opportunities. I recently graduated from the University of Malta with a Master of Arts Degree in Tourism and Culture. I am licensed to guide in six different languages, namely Maltese, our native tongue, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Swedish. You may be wondering - why am I relatively new on ToursByLocals? For much of the past 26 years, I worked mostly for established local tour operators but, post-COVID and after completing my Masters, I decided to pursue new opportunities and focus more on authentic tours for small groups of individuals, hence my motivation to offer my excursions on a reputable platform such as ToursByLocals. My keen interest in the travel and tourism sector started at a very young age as I have always been fascinated by our country's rich history and culture - growing up in the historic town of Senglea must have played a key role! I started out as a tour representative, which also entailed accompanying groups of English-speaking tourists on long one-day trips to nearby Sicily, an experience which served as a stepping stone to guiding. Other experiences followed, including working on the Maltese Pavilion at the 2000 World EXPO in Hannover, the 2008 Regional Expo in Zaragoza and the Green Week Fair in Berlin. I also spent five months working on a TUI cruise liner back in 2011. All these work and travel experiences have been very rewarding, giving me an insight into what different kinds of travellers expect from a competent tourist guide when visiting a country, pushing me to use this knowledge to improve the service I give to my guests and helping to co-create unforgettable experiences based on their interests and preferences. I can keep writing about tourist experiences and my passion for guiding but I believe in the saying that 'action speaks louder than words'. So I would rather let you make your own judgement if you have the pleasure of choosing me as your tour guide/organiser during your upcoming visit to the Maltese islands. What I promise is that I will do my very best to ensure that you remember your holiday in Malta for all the right reasons! Licensed Tourist Guide since 1997 - (licence issued by the Malta Tourism Authority) Master of Arts in Tourism and Culture - University of Malta (2021) Certificate in Tourist Guiding - Institute of Tourism Studies (1996-1997) Attended two intensive seminars for select tourist guides organised by Gebeco in Sorrento and Rome (2013, 2016) Completed air-ticketing course - Employment and Training Corporation (1995) Driver's Licence (licensed to drive light passenger vehicles) Member of the Malta Union of Tourist Guides and the World Federation of Tourist Guides Association (WFTGA) SELECT EXPERIENCES Worked as Tour Manager for Maltese groups on TUI cruise liner Mein Schiff (2011, 2016) Represented Malta at the Green Week Fair in Berlin (2010) Worked as Supervisor on Maltese Pavilion at Regional Expo in Zaragoza (2008) Worked as Information Officer on Maltese Pavilion at World Expo in Hannover (2000) In Malta, licensed tourist guides are authorised to guide at all heritage attractions. We are allowed to guide groups up to 50-52 persons.