An interview with Paolo Delfini, Owner and President of Carrani Tours
A few days after Carrani Tours received this important quality certification recognition from Eccellenze Italiane, Mr Delfini, the founder’s grandchild and president of the company, tells us about last year’s achievements
Mr Delfini, how was 2020…
2020 was the most challenging year of my career, and that’s probably an understatement! Nonetheless, receiving this quality certification award came unexpected and much welcome. It inserts us in the Eccellenze Italiane circuit of Made in Italy excellence brands.
What were your priorities?
Back in March, as soon as we realized the tourist industry was going to be hit hard by the pandemic in a way we couldn’t have foreseen and for an undetermined period of time, we opted to stay close to our clients and former guests that follow us on social media by interacting online as much as possible. Technology has been a precious ally. It allowed us to use digital channels to continue showing Italy and Rome, the city Carrani has its headquarters in.
Social media played a dramatic role then...
Absolutely! They are open windows through which people can view our contents and ascertain that our main goal has always been staying in touch. We broadcast approximately 20 live events. Therefore, we can say that we opened the doors of our homes to our colleagues and guests, sharing with them our family moments, our habits, our traditions as well as food recipes, because food is such a focal topic. We even discovered quaint medieval villages and took part in amazing grape harvests.
Any news as far as Product goes?
It is a dynamic and changing process, but yes, we developed new products that could adjust to a ‘new normal’. Italian Renaissance is one of them. It focuses on itineraries where the guest can pick the transport they prefer among car rental, train (thanks to our partnership with Trenitalia) or personal driver. Overnight is at beautiful hotels that strictly follow safety protocols.
We also released products conceived for Italian tourists in Rome, like the Street Art itinerary. Unconventional treasure hunts for kids and adults is another example.
LIVE Virtual Tours are our last creations. People will be able to visit the main Roman sights from home with the guidance of one of our certified tourist guides on a digital platorm. They’re live events, as opposed to recorded, so there’s more magic to them.
How did you react to the quality certification by Eccellenze Italiane?
I was surprised at first, but then my mind went to our history and my grandfather’s contribution to the birth of the company (he actually founded it!) and I realized the requisites for excellence were indeed met: commitment and unconditional love for our country, innovation, technology, passion as well as efforts to get better and better.
Although what comes to mind when you hear the expression ‘Italian excellence’ is art, cultural legacy, food, fashion and cars, Carrani Tours has been active in the tourist industry for almost a century now so we consider ourselves artisans, so to speak. Besides, we often collaborate with those sectors… our ‘art’, so to speak, being the skill to organize tours for those who want to get to know Italy in depth – and in doing that we promote the best of the ‘Bel Paese’ worldwide.
What does the future keep in store?
Well, I wish I was able to predict the future, but I can say that what we do daily is keep abreast of the latest advancements and trends in the market. Moreover, we gave ourselves a new corporate structure, one that is much more agile. We can now change a project the last minute as well as put out new ones as quickly as possible. We are aware that tourism won’t go back to what it was in the pre-corona era soon, and we don’t want that the dynamics of this fast-changing environment catches us off guard… Meanwhile, we’re studying, designing, molding our ideas… This is our future.