Guatemalan Company to Offer Help to Tourists, Expats

June 5, 2009 - PRLog -- Edwin Vega operates a Spanish school in this 16th century town that receives tens of thousands of visitors a year from all around the globe.  His idea for AntiguaVirtualAssistance.com came after he continually fielded requests from students about everything from safe taxis to restaurants and real estate.  

“Antigua is a wonderful city and many people come here looking for an adventure.  Sometimes they find the city a little overwhelming.  After all, there are hundreds of restaurants, hotels, Spanish schools and a number of real estate agencies all appealing to visitors.  I realized what was lacking was a centralized depository of local knowledge and relationships.”

This realization led Mr. Vega, a native of Guatemala City who has lived in Antigua for five years and speaks English, Italian and Japanese in addition to Spanish, to form AntiguaVirtualAssistance.com.  The company’s mission is to cultivate safe, reliable local service providers who agree to a certain code of conduct, and then share those relationships with visitors, whether they’re in town for a week or moving here permanently, as increasing numbers of Americans are doing.

“We have developed relationships with Doctors, car rental agencies, real estate owners, restaurants, Doctors and Lawyers, virtually anything a person may need while here.  We even help clients with setting up their utilities, ordering pizza and furnishing their new homes.  Basically, whatever they need, we help.”

Clients of AntiguaVirtualAssistance.com pay for blocks of time, much like you would with a prepaid phone service.  Clients call their virtual assistant and receive help or translation assistance and the time is deducted from their balance.  One local expat, Mark Francis, says the company has been extremely valuable.  “I’ve been relying on them since I arrived in December of 2008, and they’ve always been there for me.”

The company is celebrating their grand opening.  Details can be accessed at AntiguaVirtualAssistance.com

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One American expat has no-nonsense blog that shares with readers what it is like to live in Antigua, Guatemala, one of the top tourist destinations in the world.