Iván Ricoy
I'm the founder and CEO of Genuine Andalusia, a Spain trip planner specialized in crafting bespoke itineraries for very small private groups. The three main pillars of our trips are culture & lifestyle, food & wine and outdoors & nature and the three concepts describing our services best are comfort, beauty and authenticity. Our added value is our personal touch in everything we do and our goal is to connect our guests with the essence of our homeland through authentic local experiences. We believe this generates understanding between different cultures and contributes to making a better world!
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"My area of specialization is my homeland: Southern Spain! Furthermore, I cover Madrid, Barcelona, Toledo and Extremadura.
The activities I specialize in are immersive travel experiences based on the pillars of culture & lifestyle, food & wine and outdoors & nature. "
How did you get involved in travel?
"My first contact with the travel sector was when I joined an important online culture-exchange platform for travelers in 2006. I then started to host travelers from all over the place in my hometown and to help them discover and understand Spanish culture from a local's perspective. Later I started dreaming of doing that professionally as a trip planner and finally, after re-educating myself in Culture Management, I left a 10 year career as a Telecom Engineer behind and I started my own boutique travel agency: Genuine Andalusia."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"The best travel experiences I have ever had have actually been in my homeland while hosting other travelers and while helping them understand and love important aspects of the Spanish culture. The joy of giving that I have experienced as a local host is not comparable to any other travel experiences I have ever had."