by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 8:20 PM ET, Wed June 4, 2025
As anyone who has ever explored a new destination can attest, a tour guide can make or break the experience.
The best guides can help you truly connect with a new place, perhaps immersing you in unique activities or sights, or using their insider’s knowledge to help you escape the crowds, or better yet, connecting you with locals to create a more meaningful visit.
ToursByLocals, a Canadian-based private tour provider, gets that.
Established 20 years ago, the company has grown to become a thriving online marketplace that allows travelers to find and book one-of-a-kind, curated experiences with local guides across 176 countries.
It was an idea dreamed up by co-founders Paul Melhus and Dave Vincent whose own vacation in China was transformed by two local women who offered to help the duo explore the Great Wall and learn more about its history. That interaction set Melhus and Vincent on a mission to help other travelers have once-in-a-lifetime experiences, memorable moments, and meaningful connections.
Fast forward to 2025 and ToursByLocals has just announced its first-ever Golden Guide awards, which is a new effort to recognize 20 of the planet's truly standout guides.
The individuals receiving awards were selected from a network of 5,000-plus guides that work with ToursByLocals. Recipients were chosen because they exemplify the qualities that inspired ToursByLocals: deeply local expertise, personalized service, and community-rooted travel experiences that travelers can’t find anywhere else.
“We started the Golden Guide Awards to shine a spotlight on the extraordinary work that local guides do every single day,” Lisa Chen, CEO of ToursByLocals, told TravelPulse. “We’ve always held our guides to an incredibly high standard – and time and again, they not only meet but consistently surpass it.”
“Local guides are the beating heart of travel,” adds Chen. “They don’t just show you a place, they bring it to life for visitors. Through their lived experience, deep knowledge, and personal stories, they create connections that go far beyond the guidebook.”
The newly announced awards are the company’s way of formally recognizing all of that excellence.
"These guides are memory-makers, and they deserve to be celebrated,” says Chen.
Translation: Read on to get the key details on some of the top, most beloved tour guides around the world.
2025 Golden Guide Winners
The Golden Guide awards recognizes nearly two dozen winners globally. Here's a snapshot of some of this year's recipients. The full list can be viewed here.
The Dream Tour Award
The most “wish-listed” tour on the ToursByLocal platform, this Dream Tour award went to Daisuke Kiguchi Winfield from the highly in-demand city of Kyoto, Japan.
Winfield offers a full-day experience exploring Kyoto balances must-see traditional moments with off-the-beaten-path charm and local flavor.
Ultimate Pathfinder
With nearly 500 tours delivered in the past two years, Pepe Alonso of Madrid, is the guide you’ll want to seek out when visiting Spain.
Alonso earned the Ultimate Pathfinder award for being ToursByLocals’ busiest and most booked guide worldwide. Let that sink in: The most booked tour guide worldwide.
One traveler described Alonso as “an exceptional tour guide who made history come alive through his deep knowledge, passion, and incredible storytelling.”
Chen calls Alonso a "true testament to the kind of immersive, personalized experiences our travelers seek."
"He’s a brilliant example of how our guides don’t just share facts, but perspective, emotion and meaning," adds Chen.
Ship to Shore Award
Is a cruise in your future? Then you’ll want to take note of this award-winner. Created to honor the most-booked shore excursion globally, Eynep Zerkan is the recipient of the Ship to Shore award for her decade-long dedication to welcoming cruise travelers to the ancient wonders of Ephesus, Turkey.
Personal Touch Award
Budapest guide Beata Katona is the recipient of the Personal Touch award for creating a deeply meaningful custom experience. Katona went above and beyond to reconnect travelers with their family’s heritage in a remote Hungarian village.
Travel Advisor’s Pick
Selected from industry nominations, Esther Ranis, in Aruba, stood out for her exceptional attention to detail and joyful delivery of high-end, flexible experiences for travel advisors and their clients.
Traveler’s Choice
An award based entirely on the direct nominations of travelers, Marta Corte Real, in Lisbon, Portugal, has consistently received glowing praise for her warmth, helpfulness, and expert guiding.
"With dozens of nominations from travelers who still keep in touch with her post-tour, she’s a great example of how guides form lasting relationships with the people they take on tour," says Chen. "It’s far more than a half-day transactional relationship; a tour is often the start of a years-long friendship."
Corte Real also celebrated her 1,000th tour with ToursByLocals this month.
Lifetime Achievement Award
With 1,720 tours delivered since joining the platform in 2012, Dino Margiota of Rome, Italy has made an indelible mark. Travelers routinely describe his tours as “outstanding” and “unforgettable” and praise him as the reason they’re now hooked on using a private guide wherever they travel.
"Since 2012, he’s led over 1,700 private tours – more than any other guide on our platform," says Chen. ” Dino embodies what makes ToursByLocals special: a deep love for place, unmatched dedication and the ability to make every traveler feel like a VIP. His legacy is one of lasting impact and genuine connection, the very heart of what great guiding is all about."
If you’re now busy making notes for your next trip to Rome (along with everyplace else on this list), you’re not alone.
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