In 2023, it will be 20 years since Aitor Delgado –one of the most awarded guides in the Basque Country– began his career as a cicerone. Different associations, institutions, and companies have acknowledged Aitor’s work: he was named the best Bilbao guide in the Luxury Travel Awards of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022; he has been a BASQUE LUXURY member since 2018; he is an authorized guide for the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao; in 2019, the Basque Government classified his professional activity as an innovative project; he is a member of the Professional Tourist Guide Association; and TripAdvisor has given him its certificate of excellence every year from 2014 onwards – thus, he has been added to their “Hall of Fame.”
To celebrate his two decades of continuous work, Delgado has done the groundwork to design two new types of tours for his clients (tours which he always organizes in a personalized, private way for couples, families, and/or groups of friends) revolving around two fundamental axes: the automotive industry and sustainability.
The Basque Country is steeped in industrial tradition – something which, in turn, has led to car manufacturing. Vitoria-Gasteiz, for example, is home to one of the most important Mercedes-Benz plants. There are also valuable car museums and collections in the region: the Porsche Museum in Bidarray, located at the luxurious Auberge Ostape hotel in the French Basque Country; the Torre Loizaga Museum of Galdames, which houses the only Rolls-Royce collection in Europe that includes all the models manufactured between 1910 and 1990; as well as the Aguinaga Mercedes-Benz Museum of Barakaldo, which presents the first vehicle in history powered by an internal combustion engine, among other jewels. The exhibition “Motion: Autos, Art, Architecture” also generated great interest, curated by Norman Foster and presented last year at the Guggenheim Museum of Bilbao.
Likewise, the Basque Country is promoting the change towards electric cars and has just presented “The e-Basque Route”: the first national tourist route by road designed with electric vehicles and sustainability in mind. Vitoria is the great champion of this cause, having been named “European Green Capital” in 2012 and having received the “Global Green City Award” in 2019 from the UN, as well as being “Biosphere Responsible Tourism” certified. Its Green Belt and citizen support are two of the achievements that are worth learning more about.
Aitor Delgado aims to transmit to those who visit us the fascinating worlds that are the automotive industry and sustainability, showcasing –among other things– the private car collections and the iconic places where cycling competitions (like Plaza Circular Square of Bilbao) and automobile races (like the Lasarte Course Race, near San Sebastián) were once held in days gone by. And for those who wish to discover the Basque Country while enjoying cycling and sustainable tourism, Aitor offers exclusive tours on high-performance bicycles designed and manufactured with biocomposites by the local brand Axalko. These bikes feature an exclusive frame created with biomaterials, wood, and plant fibers.
These innovative tours are a good example of the creativity of this professional when it comes to bringing his land a little closer to visitors, as well as being an excellent way to celebrate his 20 years of experience.
Aitor Delgado
Tel.: +34 687 476 134