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CEO
Jose Arozarena, the CEO of Amigo Tours, is a determined visionary leader who has transformed the company into a thriving hospitality and tourism business. His journey began at a young age when he started a small computer business and later worked as a DJ to save money for backpacking across Europe. A transformative trip to Australia opened his eyes to the potential of the hostel industry, and he returned to Mexico with the dream of opening his own world-class hostel.
Jose launched Hostel Amigo with his business partner, a 180-bed hostel that quickly became the largest in Latin America. The hostel’s success came from its amenities and facilities and Jose’s hands-on approach, which included working reception, cleaning rooms, and managing accounts. This hands-on experience allowed him to learn from his successes and failures, which proved invaluable as he expanded the hostel chain to six locations across Mexico.
In 2010, Jose’s vision expanded further with the launch of Amigo Tours. He purchased a bus and began offering tours to his hostel guests, later acquiring more buses and forming a partnership with a Mexican tour agency. His persistence paid off when he secured a partnership with Viator, a leading online travel platform with www.amigotours.com, which paved the way for Amigo Tours to expand its reach beyond Mexico, establishing operations in Brazil, the UK, and Spain.
Jose’s success is attributed to his unwavering determination, constant learning, and commitment to providing exceptional customer experiences. The most significant qualities that have helped Jose achieve his goals throughout his journey are determination, visionary leadership, customer focus, creativity, and team empowerment.
Fostering Creativity & Innovation
Jose has a proven track record of fostering creativity and innovation within his organization. He believes that the best ideas come from employees and customers, and he has implemented several strategies to encourage and capture these ideas.
The pioneering leader is a strong advocate for listening to customer feedback. He recognizes that customers are the ones who experience the company’s products and services firsthand, and he values their insights. Amigo Tours has a variety of mechanisms for collecting customer feedback, including surveys, online reviews, and in-person conversations. This feedback is then used to identify areas for improvement and develop new products and services.
He also believes that employees are a valuable source of creativity. His employees are encouraged to share their ideas and provide the resources and support needed to develop and implement them. Amigo Tours has several mechanisms for encouraging employee participation in idea generation, including brainstorming sessions, innovation competitions, and employee suggestion boxes. Experimentation is critical to innovation. He encourages employees to take risks and try new ideas, even if they need to be revised. Amigo Tours has a culture of experimentation, and employees are urged to take ownership of their ideas and see them through to completion.
Jose recognizes that a culture of openness and trust fosters creativity. He believes employees should feel comfortable sharing their ideas without fear of judgment. Amigo Tours has a culture of open communication and transparency, and employees are encouraged to speak up and share their ideas.
By implementing these strategies, Jose has created a culture of innovation within Amigo Tours, leading to the development of new and successful products and services. His commitment to listening to customer feedback, involving employees in idea generation, encouraging experimentation, recognizing and rewarding creativity, and fostering a culture of openness and trust has helped Amigo Tours become a hospitality and tourism industry leader.
Building A Great Company
Amigo Tours is committed to offering the best service to its commercial partners and, hence, to its mutual clients. Thus, the bookings we receive with anticipation of up to 4 hours before the tour/activity occurs are processed through our call center. Their team gives support and information to the agencies and the final client. The timing policy accepts bookings for most tours at 10:00 p.m. the day before the tour, so the booking window is open until the last minute, adjusting them to the demand of the travel market. Amigo Tours doesn’t have a minimum or maximum of passengers to operate a tour, so they are sure that a traveler will find the tour they are looking for!
The company aims to promote and show the best local culture, making every tour a special and unique experience. The tour guides working for Amigo Tours are exclusive and committed to maintaining the quality and knowledge provided to our passengers. Amigo Tours operates unique tours and activities. “Some of our most popular activities are devoted to visiting the main spots that work as references to the capital cities in the world; in most cases, we offer the advantage of having early access, beating the crowds, and in some cases also the heat and humidity, turning the tour into a memorable experience,” says Jose.
When Amigo Tours started their operations in Spain in March 2016, Jose explored the market and encountered an ample opportunity in two historic landmarks, Toledo and Segovia; this is the only company that would make the tours in one day, and Amigo Tours took the challenge. Since Madrid has considerable affluence of tourists that visit the city and go through the airport, a lot of people go into the city with tight schedules, so having the possibility to visit these vital cities, known for stories like Don Quixote or by their historic buildings, like the Segovia’s castle that was an inspiration for Walt Disney’s Cinderella Castle.Viator, GetYourGuide, Civitatis and other OTAs became essential to this transaction with www.amigotours.com because they would provide online selling. By the demand, Amigo Tours could understand how many visits they would have by the week to manage the tour offers. This tour became one of the biggest hits for Amigo Tours with this 11-hour day tour and is still one of the top-selling tours for Spain.
Jose’s revolutionary approach has been instrumental in Amigo Tours’ meteoric rise to becoming one of the biggest tour operators worldwide. His unwavering commitment to innovation and his astute business acumen have enabled the company to consistently deliver exceptional experiences to its customers while adapting to the ever-evolving tourism industry.
Amigo Tours’ expansion beyond Mexico’s borders is one of the most significant achievements that stands as a testament to Jose’s revolutionary approach. With a presence in Mexico, USA, Italy, the UK, and Spain, the company has firmly established itself as a global player, catering to a diverse clientele worldwide. This expansion is a testament to Jose’s vision and ability to identify emerging opportunities in new markets.
Amigo Tours is characterized by having new products; they constantly look into new tours and activities to provide a broader offer to people. These products keep innovating and growing, and the most important thing is to keep excellent quality in them, which is something important for the team to keep working on constantly.
Jose’s revolutionary approach has been the driving force behind Amigo Tours’ success. His vision, determination, and commitment to excellence have transformed the company from a small hostel in Mexico into a global tour operator that sets the standard in the industry. As Amigo Tours continues to grow and evolve, it is undoubtedly evident that the revolutionary approach pioneered by Jose will continue to pave the way for further achievements and success.
Amigo Tours’ plan is to keep growing constantly and look for new client experiences. Since technology is continuously increasing, it’s essential to bet on tech and quality to keep up with the new generations. 15 years ago, tours weren’t provided or booked in the same way as they are now, showing the importance of constant evolution, so it is the basis to embrace the future.
For more information: https://amigotours.com/
" The most significant qualities that have helped Jose achieve his goals throughout his journey are determination, visionary leadership, customer focus, creativity, and team empowerment. "
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