Stage II/Issue 22
Locally written, globally distributed
31st March
City Sightseeing Birthday Bash
l Summit a b lo G C T T W re u s o / Brand Exp t & Dublin / Destinations Beiru In this issue. SevilleBeirutDublinBerlinNew YorkAmsterdamDubaiLas Palmas de Gran CanariaMoscowMalagaBudapestEdinburghGlasgowPanama
TopDeck Magazine | nº18 | Enero 2018
Message from Enrique Ybarra President & CEO City Sightseeing Worldwide
Seville, Spain. The home of the first ever City Sightseeing operation which started on the 31st of March 1999
Dear Friends, I want to thank you all for joining in on the #CitySightseeingBirthdayBash. I enjoyed admiring all the exciting celebrations you organised in your cities on 31st March. There is no doubt that the 20th Anniversary is a celebration for the whole City Sightseeing network and I am very proud of everything you did to celebrate. In this edition of “Top Deck” you will find an article regarding this milestone, along with other activities related with the Anniversary, including our outstanding presence at FITUR Madrid and ITB Berlin, and further details about the City Sightseeing Annual Conference, which will be held in Seville this June. We also have excellent news about the great exposure our global brand received at the most important travel-industry event– the WTTC Global Summit. City Sightseeing featured as a Platinum Sponsor with Hilton Group, American Express, and Iberia, and from 2 to 4 April we had the chance to catch up with the Presidents, CEOs, and decision makers from the most renowned companies in our sector, including Emirates Group, Royal Caribbean, and Expedia, as well as Tourism Ministers from many countries where we operate. In this edition, we also welcome a new operation to the City Sightseeing international network in Beirut, where we launch the first hop-on hop-off operation in the country. I look forward to seeing you all at the City Sightseeing Annual Conference. Yours sincerely,
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Stage II/Issue 22
Locally written, globally distributed
31st March
City Sightseeing Birthday Bash
Global Summit / Brand Exposure WTTC & Dublin / Destinations Beirut In this issue. SevilleBeirutDublinBerlinNew YorkAmsterdamDubaiLas Palmas de Gran CanariaMoscowMalagaBudapestEdinburghGlasgowPanama
/ Staff Editor Antonio M. Ortega. press@city-ss.com Contributing writers Daniel Vidal, Isaac Flores, Juan Marchena, Athena Papareskou, Magaly Van der Kelen, Sergei Lavrentyev, Var Na Grytbakk, Paul Nel, Olga Medina, Lauren Mogannam, Rosana Pajaron, Cedric Scherer, Sharon Mendham. Production Antonio M. Ortega. Publisher City Sightseeing Worldwide
The City Sightseeing brand at the WTTC Global Summit 06/09
20/21
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We welcome your thoughts about TOP DECK and any ideas you might have. Please send any suitable items for inclusion to: topdeck@city-sightseeing.com
WTTC Global Summit 2019
The World of City Sightseeing
Gallery / Corporate News
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22/23
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Printed by: Egondi Artes Gráficas This edition of Top Deck has been printed on CREATOR STAR FSC® paper, where the virgin fibre comes from forests with strict criteria towards environmental protection. This FSC® certified paper also incorporates other environmental standards such as chlorine-free bleaching. The FSC® logo identifies products from well managed forests which are certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council.
20th Anniversary – City Sightseeing Birthday Bash
Destination: Dublin
Gallery / Tour News
14/15
24/25
34/35 Gallery / Staff stories
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Special Feature: The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge
Special Feature: FITUR Madrid
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Special Feature: ITB Berlin
18/19 Views expressed in the pages of TOP DECK are not necessarily those of City Sightseeing Worldwide, their Franchisees, Associates and Partners or the Editors.
New Destination: Beirut
2019 CS Annual Conference Update
28/29 Suppliers: Latest News
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36/37 Gallery / The Best of Social Media
38 The Wall
TopDeck Magazine | nยบ18 | Enero 2018
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‘Changemakers’ blaze the trail The WTTC Global Summit took place in Seville, Spain, and brought together the leading companies in the travel industry. Through different presentations and panel discussions, we had a chance to get a glimpse at the future in the tourism sector.
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ore than 1,600 global leaders attended the WTTC Global Summit 2019 in Seville, Spain. The Seville Exhibition and Convention Centre (Fibes) featured an interesting program of keynote presentations, panel discussions and meetings between Presidents and CEOs of the most renowned companies in the travel industry, together with Presidents and Ministers of some of the most visited countries in the World. And City Sightseeing played a key role in this major event in the tourism sector.
“As the Travel & Tourism sector continues to grow, new markets open up, and more people have the opportunity to travel, we need to make sure that we stay ahead of the curve by considering what the future of travel looks like, who the consumers of tomorrow will be and what they will expect. That is why the theme of this year’s Global Summit is ‘Changemakers”, said Gloria Guevara, President & CEO of the WTTC, in her opening speech. The Global Summit inauguration led by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro 06
Sanchez, the President of the Andalusian Government, Juan Manuel Moreno, and the Mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas. Christopher J. Nasseta, President and CEO of Hilton and Chairman of the WTTC, and Zurab Pololikashvili, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, were also on the stage to welcome attendees. The most awaited moment was the moderated conversation with Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States. The program also included a Global Leaders Dialogue, presentations, and panel discussions which announced new trends and went through relevant topics like technology, employment, emerging markets like China and Africa, accessible tourism, and sustainability.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Getting Ready to Manage Tourism Growth Travel & Tourism can play a significant role in a city’s economy, boosting GDP and creating jobs. Managed well, a strong visitor economy can also help a destination to thrive, by bringing connectivity, fostering diversity, engendering hospitality and by creating a real sense of place for all who live, work and visit the city. With this novel framework, city planning authorities and legislators, investors and real estate developers, tourism organizations and Travel & Tourism companies can evaluate global cities’ readiness for future expected tourism volumes by 2030.
Gloria Guevara President World Travel & Tourism Council
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City Sightseeing helps local governments manage tourism growth sustainably During the WTTC Global Summit, City Sightseeing disclosed its future strategy with regards to urban tourism and how to help cities manage tourism growth. This strategy comes from studying its international network of over 100 destinations in more than 30 countries. To help manage the influx of visitors, City Sightseeing proposes to: 1. Create new products to encourage visitors to explore new areas in cities. 2. Distribute visitors throughout a city thanks to the hop-on hop-off system and inter-modality between different means of transport. 3. Technology, thanks to API connections with the world’s leading OTAs, which allows for a seamless customer journey from the moment they book until they arrive in one of our destinations.
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TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
City Sightseeing shines at “the travel industry’s most important event” At City Sightseeing we worked tirelessly to bring the WTTC Global Summit to Seville, Spain, as part of the 20th Anniversary of the launch of the global brand in the city. Apart from the close collaboration with the WTTC and local and national administrations, City Sightseeing featured as a Platinum Sponsor. This role allowed us to gain great exposure in such a world-class event and our brand was included on the Summit website and the APP, along with the conference layouts, the stationary and at the exhibition centre. Also, a 60 second corporate video was played during the breaks on a
video wall in the auditorium and all the screens located in the venue, such as the press area and the exhibitor area. Additionally, City Sightseeing had a stand in the exhibitor area where attendees could receive suggestions on what to see and do in Seville during the Summit and, of course, information about the global brand and the over 100 destinations involved in the international network. Presidents and CEOs of the largest companies in the tourism sector went through several topics pertaining to the travel industry. City Sightseeing was called to
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take part in the panel ‘Are cities future ready?’ together with Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), represented by President H.E. Ahmed Al-Khateeb, the Ministry of Tourism of Greece, with Minister H.E. Elena Kountoura, and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), Head of Tourism Steffan Panoho. Finally, City Sightseeing held a press conference before the closing ceremony. The WTTC Global Summit had a great impact and the City Sightseeing brand had great exposure amongst the World’s leading companies in the tourism sector.
20th Anniversary Birthday Bash On 31st March 1999, City Sightseeing launched its first operation in Seville, Spain. On 31st March 2019, the City Sightseeing international network celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the global brand in five continents
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n the exact day that the City Sightseeing brand was launched, operations from around the World joined in on the #CitySightseeingBirthdayBash to celebrate the brand’s 20th Anniversary. We could see our friends from Melbourne to New York, from Cape Town to Oslo, celebrating at the same time across the globe. All the operators throwing a birthday party and sharing their
celebrations via social media automatically entered for a chance for their operation to win a trip for two to the Annual Conference, all expenses paid. They only needed to upload a video to Instagram showing how they celebrated this milestone in City Sightseeing style. After checking the number of interactions, City Sightseeing Moscow was announced as the winner. In order to celebrate with our 10
customers worldwide, we launch the same contest focused on passengers in any of the City Sightseeing operations. Evi Siskos achieved 3,675 likes and 23 comments in Instagram and will join us in Seville during the Annual Conference in June. Indeed, the City Sightseeing Annual Conference will be the perfect occasion for us to celebrate together a new City Sightseeing Birthday Bash.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
NEW YORK
ATHENS
BUDAPEST
MOSCOW
AMSTERDAM
PALMA
ST. PETERSBURG
PANAMA CITY 11
EDINBURGH
KAZAN
MALAGA
SEVILLA
OSLO
MELBOURNE
PRAGUE
LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA 12
TopDeck Magazine | #18 #22 || Enero May 2019 2018
CAPE TOWN
YORK
CORDOBA
OXFORD
CADIZ
TOLEDO
NORWICH
SANTANDER 13
ITB Berlin – Networking and Celebration For yet another year, City Sightseeing Worldwide was present at ITB Berlin, the leading global event for the travel industry. From 6th to 10th March, we had the chance to meet with key agents and explore new partnerships, as we promoted the global brand and the over 100 operations involved.
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rom 6th to 10th March, ITB Berlin maintained its position as the World’s leading travel trade show with 113,500 trade visitors and over 10,000 exhibitors from 181 countries and regions displaying their products and services in 26 halls. For yet another year, the German show was a great opportunity to showcase the City Sightseeing brand and the over 100 locations involved in the global network. We had a chance to catch up with our operators from Seattle, Dubai, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and many more who visited us at Stand 103, Hall 18.
Apart from meeting with City Sightseeing operators and those interested in joining the City Sightseeing network, ITB was the perfect place to meet tour operators and agents, as well as other important partners in our industry. There were a remarkable number of leading tour operators and travel agencies exhibiting for the first time at this edition. As we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary, we strengthened relationships with all of them with a City Sightseeing Party at Hard Rock CafĂŠ Berlin, similar to the one we had in January during FITUR in Madrid. 14
ITB Berlin, which was booked up months beforehand, is seen as a reliable economic indicator and forward-looking trendsetter of the global travel industry. As a recognised think tank and driving force for the industry, the ITB Berlin Convention was the main attraction again for many trade visitors. This year the number of high-ranking international speakers broke records. The CityCube Berlin, its new venue, was also very well received. Topics covered included overtourism, sustainability and climate change, the shift in customer demands, particularly in the luxury travel market, and the topic of Future Mobility.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Party at Hard Rock CafĂŠ Berlin Following the 20th Anniversary celebration program, City Sightseeing Worldwide partnered with Hard Rock Cafe to throw a great party in Berlin during ITB Berlin. A total of 250 friends from the travel industry joined us to celebrate with us and enjoyed a lively event filled with live music and gastronomy.
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1 Pieter Schelling, Coen de Man, and Christopher Wielders from CS Rotterdam. 2 Jeronimo Cardenas, Marcos Ybarra (CS Mallorca), Paul Seeger (CS New York), Enrique Ybarra, and Isaac Flores (CS Spain). 3 Alexander Dochy and Magaly Van der Kelen (CS Brussels and CS Paris). 4 Evaggelos and Nikos Tsokas from CS Corfu. 5 Great performance by the band JCB at Hard Rock CafĂŠ Berlin. 6 Oliver Nicholls during his welcome speech with Enrique Ybarra and the HRC Berlin managers. 7 Branded badges and bracelets for the guests. 15
At the greatest FITUR Madrid ever From 23rd to 27th January, the City Sightseeing brand stood out at one of the most important travel trade shows in the industry: FITUR Madrid. Operators, agents, industry representatives, journalists and the public visited us at stand 8C07 to discover more about us.
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n January, FITUR Madrid beated the record for participation in its most international edition yet. The fair grew 8.3% and this year’s edition was its biggest ever with the participation of 886 stand-holder exhibitors and more than 10,487 companies from 165 countries and regions. The international presence also grew by 11%, and represented 55% of the total share. From 23 to 27 January, Madrid welcomed the international tourism community and
experienced a rise of participation in line with the industry’s record growth, both in Spain and worldwide. At this major showcase, City Sightseeing featured with a large stand at Pavillion 8. CS operators, agents, industry representatives, journalists and the public took the opportunity of catching up about the service provided by our global brand which operates in more than 100 destinations worldwide.
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During the show, the Marketing Team threw a competition in the social networks by encouraging visitors to share their gifs created in the stand, which gave us great online exposure. Finally, as 2019 marks the 20th Anniversary of City Sightseeing, we also wanted to celebrate with staff, partners and friends attending the Spanish show and organised a party at Hard Rock CafĂŠ Madrid which was the first one of a series of events that are set to paint the World red throughout the year.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Party at Hard Rock Café Madrid The City Sightseeing operators, our partners in the industry and many more friends celebrated with us at Hard Rock Café Madrid. We threw a party filled with live music featuring the City Sightseeing 20th Anniversary official theme by Tarifa Plana, plus a DJ set, and a cocktail served by Hard Rock Café, which is partnering with us for the year-long celebrations.
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1 Ramon Ybarra, Var Na-Ji Grytbakk (CS Oslo), and Maria Molina. 2 Paul Seeger (CS New York), Oliver Nicholls, and Mark Ausset (Sightseeing Pass). 3 Hard Rock Café Madrid hall. 4 Jeronimo Cardenas, Javier Gonzalez (UNVI), and Antonio Rubio (CS Toledo). 5 Tarifa Plana performance. 6 Isaac Flores (CS Spain), Enrique Ybarra, Ramon Ybarra, Marcos Ybarra (CS Mallorca), Estefania Gonzalez, Antonio Rubio (CS Toledo), Piru Galan (CS Santander), Antonio Benitez (CS Las Palmas GC), Jose Maria Sanchez (CS Cordoba), and Daniel Vidal (CS Seville). 7 CS bracelet. 17
Beirut City Sightseeing arrives in Lebanon to show travellers the most exciting sights of Beirut. With this new launching in the Middle East, Viviane Nasr becomes the hop-on hop-off pioneer in her country.
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What is Beirut bringing to the City Sightseeing international portfolio?
Usually, everyone who has visited Beirut has fallen in love with this beautiful city, with the diversity of its culture, the richness of its history and the welcoming its fun-loving people. So this country is bringing something unique and different from all other countries.
Viviane Nasr Founder and CEO CS Lebanon
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What do you expect to receive from the City Sightseeing brand?
City Sightseeing is giving me a lot, it’s bringing me the international brand its beautiful 18
image, its beautiful and unique touristic concept that didn’t exist in Lebanon before. I am the first one using this hop-on hop-off concept in the country so I will be the pioneer in that and I am really very thankful the support City Sightseeing is giving me. We are working side by side for the success of this project in Lebanon.
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How do you see City Sightseeing in 5/10 years time?
City Sightseeing is growing very fast and its success is also growing very fast. I see the brand all over the world, and in each country, as a must for international travellers.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
The Operation On 4th May, CS Beirut starts operating in Lebanon with one route through downtown Beirut. The tour takes visitors through the most iconic sights of the city, like its renowned museums, the Cathedral, and the Old Mosque. The route lasts 90 minutes, travellers are able to hop on and off at any of the 15 stops, and a 30-minute frequency between the buses.
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ast meets West in Beirut. The capital of Lebanon is a bustling city with plenty of restaurants, pubs, souks and attractions. When in Beirut you cannot miss gems like the National Museum of Beirut, the MIM, the St George Crypt Museum, the Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut, and the Mohammed Al Amin Mosque. Travellers also love its crowded streets, strolling the waterfront, and experiencing the vibrant nightlife in the city. Lots of things to see and do in this amazing destination in the Middle East which “has been rebuilt seven times because of earthwakes and wars, and has hidden treasures to show to the whole World”, as Viviane said.
Highlights The capital and largest city of Lebanon, as well as the country’s main seaport One of the oldest cities in the World, with more than 5,000 years of history Ancient history, exotic gastronomy, and vibrant nightlife
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CANADA Niagara ** Toronto
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Chicago * Los Angeles & Hollywood Miami * Natchez New Orleans New York Orlando ** Philadelphia * San Antonio San Francisco (Coming Soon) San Juan Seattle Washington DC *
ICELAND Reykjavik
PORTUGAL Albufeira Aveiro Funchal Lisbon Porto Sintra
PANAMA Panama City COLOMBIA Cartagena
PERU Lima
THE WORLD OF
CITY SIGHTSEEING Affiliate (*) Attractions (**)
SPAIN Antequera Arrecife Barcelona * Benalmadena Cadiz Cordoba Jerez Las Palmas Gran Canaria Lleida Malaga Nerja Palma De Mallorca Santa Cruz De Tenerife ** Santander Seville Toledo
UNITED KINGDOM & IRELAND Galashiels (Scotish Border) Bath Belfast Galway Bournemouth Glasgow Brighton Inverness Cambridge Llandudno & Conwy Cardiff London ** Chester Norwich Derry/Londonderry Oxford Dublin Stratford-upon-Avon Edinburgh York
BELGIUM Brussels BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Sarajevo CYPRUS Limassol Ayia Napa (Coming Soon) Larnaca (Coming Soon)
RUSSIA Kazan Moscow St. Petersburg
CZECH REPUBLIC Prague DENMARK Copenhagen
Aarhus
ESTONIA Tallinn FINLAND Helsinki FRANCE Paris * GERMANY Berlin Kiel LEBANON Beirut SOUTH KOREA Seoul (Coming Soon)
Potsdam Trier
GREECE Athens & Piraeus Corfu Thessaloniki (Coming Soon) HUNGARY Budapest
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Sharjah
LUXEMBOURG Luxembourg MALTA Gozo
SAUDI ARABIA Al Madinah
ITALY Florence Genoa Livorno Messina Milan Naples Padova Palermo Rome Sorrento Turin Verona
Malta
NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Rotterdam SINGAPORE Singapore
SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town Johannesburg & Soweto
AUSTRALIA Melbourne
NORWAY Alesund Bergen Geiranger
Oslo Stavanger
POLAND Krakow Gdansk
Warsaw
SWEDEN Gothenburg UKRAINE Kiev
Stockholm
Dublin A new era begins for City Sightseeing Dublin with a partnership with a local agent with extensive experience in transportation and city attractions. Keith McDonnell shares his thoughts on this.
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I own two tourism offices in the city and have been exclusively selling City Sightseeing tickets so I have had a close relationship with the operator in Dublin. I have done my research on City Sightseeing and was very impressed with your vision, mission statement and what you believe in whether it be employee relationship, customer service, etc. It is very similar to what we believe at my company so I think the synergy is very strong between us here and going forward.
Corporate Social Responsibility is a priority for us. Sustainability and Responsibility has always been close to my heart. We are a green island and I want Dublin to be a green city.
What did you know about City Sightseeing and what are your expectations as you join the global brand?
Keith McDonnell Managing Director CS Dublin
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Business, know-how, CSR... A lot of topics are growing in the CS network. In which one would you like to contribute?
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How do you see the City Sightseeing brand in the upcoming years?
As the leading city tour brand in the world, working with local operators in a responsible tourism business model.
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
The Operation CS Dublin is part of EI Travel Group, a company that carried over 250,000 passengers in 2018. Our partner in Dublin operates a number of brands, including EI Travel, Extreme Ireland Adventures, Irish Day Tours, The Irish Whiskey Museum, and The Riddler restaurant. With 130 employees, EI Travel Group is creating 40 extra jobs with the addition of the hop-on hop-off service to its portfolio.
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ublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland, as well as the economic centre of the country and a world-class destination. Located on the east coast of the island, at the mouth of the River Liffey and bordered on the south by the Wicklow Mountains, Dublin is home to 1.17 million inhabitants and every year welcomes 5.5 million visitors attracted by the historical monuments of the city and its lively streets. Attractions, restaurants, pubs, and parks make Dublin one of the most popular destinations in Europe.
Highlights A fleet of 16 open-top buses will be used for operating the new hopon hop-off service in Dublin Focused on sustainable tourism, CS Dublin will be upgrading its buses until operating only electric vehicles In terms of quality service, CS Dublin aims to “get to a standard that City Sightseeing would be proud of�
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A Successful 3rd Edition O n 16th February, the third edition of The CS Marathon Challenge took place during the Seville Marathon 2019. On the occasion of the 20th Anniversary of the global brand, we also joined as an event sponsor and the exposure was even better.
The City Sightseeing brand stood out more than ever thanks to our global competition and, additionally, as a sponsor of the Seville Marathon, with a drum band and a new a charity campaign
In this edition, we named three new winners among over one thousand participations received: Declan Murray, from Chicago, USA, won the award for Best Story winner. Declan was a professional track and field athlete, but had to retire because of an injury. Now he has remade his career as a coach and 24
encourages other people to live healthy lives by doing sport. In Seville, Declan had the opportunity to run his first marathon and finished in just 3 hours 09 minutes. Marije Geurtsen, from Vianen, the Netherlands, is a runner, traveller and blogger who flew to Seville to try to beat her best time in a marathon and finished under 2 hours 50 minutes. She has become the fastest women in The CS Marathon Challenge history with a time of 2 hour 45 minutes. Nick Barry, from Manchester, United Kingdom, is the participant with
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Painting Seville Red The City Sightseeing brand was everywhere during the Seville Marathon: banners, flags, t-shirts and a batucada (a drum band) located at the last kilometre mark. The City Sightseeing Batucada Percussion Tambour was cheering the runners for hours and helping them get to the finish line, and they did it in CitySightseeing style! Pictures and video can be found at themarathonchallenge. com
the best time in all editions of our competition. He wanted to finish under 2 hours and 30 minutes and he achieved it by finishing at 2 hours and 29 minutes. Former Marathon Challenge winners also joined us in Seville.
Francisco Fernandez from the first edition and Manuel Gaton and Busi Klimt from the second edition came out and ran for City Sightseeing. The City Sightseeing Running Team is becoming a family as the City Sightseeing network already is.
100 T-Shirts “For Charity” On the occasion of City Sightseeing’s 20th Anniversary, we launched a charity campaign for the Seville Marathon We delivered 100 t-shirts in partnership with AEFAT in order to help this association raise awareness about the Ataxia Telangiectasia, a neurodegenerative disease
A CS Running Team Charity member pass next to the drums band in the last kilometer of the Seville Marathon. 25
City Sightseeing donated €20 to the association for each runner wearing this t-shirt in order to help raise funds to further investigate the disease
Things to See and Do in Seville From 16th to 19th June, the 2019 Annual Conference will be held in Seville, the city where the City Sightseeing brand was born 20 years ago.
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s the City Sightseeing Annual Conference approaches, we are excited to release further details on what our colleagues from CS Seville are preparing for the entire City Sightseeing network, including operators, keynote speakers, and our industry patners. As you can see in the Social Agenda on the conference site (http://annualconference.citysightseeing.com), you will have the opportunity to admire the breathtaking views of the city from the rooftop of the largest Gothic Cathedral in the World, discover the exciting universe of Sherry wines, the equestrian 26
culture and the history and monuments of the nearby city of Jerez de la Frontera, and explore the mesmerising Royal Alcรกzar of Sevilla. This will be a fantastic experience attendees are sure to treasure for years to come. Our days in Seville will also include a cooking workshop to master your paella-making skills, an exciting football match at a La Liga football facility, and several sightseeing opportunities you will love, such as visits to the Flamenco Dance Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Bullring. This spectacular leisure programme, together with an
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Conference Hotel The conference hotel, Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento*****, is located on the banks of the Guadalquivir River on the Isla de la Cartuja, five minutes from the city centre and a short walk from the Alameda de Hércules, famous for its bars and restaurants. The hotel, with 295 spacious and light-filled rooms, is well-known in the city for its architecture and design evoking the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
unbeatable experience at the Barceló Sevilla Renacimiento*****, will be a superb way to usher in two productive business days in Seville which will feature highprofile keynote speakers and valuable panel discussions.
We are sure this Annual Conference will be an unforgettable event filled with once-in-a-lifetime experiences in the gorgeous Andalusian capital. See you in Seville!
Highlights The astonishing views of the city from the rooftop of the Cathedral, the largest Gothic temple in the World Day excursion to Jerez de la Frontera, home to world-famous Sherry wines, Andalusian horses, and flamenco music Special 20th Anniversary Dinner, in addition to Welcome Cocktail and the Gala Dinner
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News Discover the latest products, services, and novelties from our providers who are constantly innovating.
New UNVI CNG URBIS Open Top and Compa T Open Top
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n 2018, and again in 2019 we continue to deliver our hugely successful range of URBIS Open Top doubledecker model.
With more than 60 units delivered during 2018, the majority being the diesel, hybrid and also our 100% electric version. URBIS Open Top Vehicles operate in cities throughout the world, reflecting the outstanding range of climatic roof options available as well as the quality of UNVI products. For 2019 the prospects are now enhanced as we will expand our OPEN TOP range with the introduction of our new CNG version. Another exciting development is our COMPA T OPEN TOP now with CNG power and with up to 30 seats. Like in 2018, many deliveries will take place in 2019.
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TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
DESIC is continuing to develop
M&E Multimedia & Engineering implements the multilingual audio system for CS Seville
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ollowing from the features of Bus Operative, both helping manage your operation and inform customers, DESIC releases new developments in addition to the existing application functions. Feedbacks are crucially important to the company, and with the help of customers and passengers they are continuously working on improving services to make bus tours as competitive as possible. Therefore, to make their App even more user-friendly, they have just implemented several changes in the design, as well as in the functionalities. Go to page 39 and use the QR codes they generated for CS operators to download the app as quickly and easily as possible and check out the changes.
ity Sightseeing Sevilla relies on the quality and service of M&E Multimedia Engineering to develop the multilanguage audio system of the new tourist bus that has the latest technological advances and features 16 languages.
Also, DESIC is very glad to announce the newest member joining Bus Operative – CS Lebannon. “We are excited about our collaboration, and more than convinced that Beirut will be as satisfied with our services as are our several other clients.”
“At M&E we understand the importance of offering a quality service that adapts to the needs of tourists, so we are pleased to be part of an experience of emotions and discovery of people traveling with City Sightseeing.”
For more information contact them at busoperative@ desic-sl.com. Discover the real smart travel system, discover Bus Operative. 29
The tourist bus offers a cultural experience in the Spanish city where joy and magic can be found in each square and street of the historic centre. Tourists who come on board will appreciate gorgeous Islamic monuments, gardens, flamenco festivals, and the amazing history of Seville, accompanied by an excellent audio guide, as well as panoramic views afforded by the bus.
Corporate News from the Global Brand
Purchase online now! Thanks to an update to the Purchasing Department’s website, it is now much easier to navigate among the City Sightseeing products and make purchases. Visit purchasing.citysightseeing.com.
Integrations Update At UKInbound
Seatrade in Miami
The CS App allows to scan vouchers from Expedia, GetYourGuide, Viator, Civitatis, Tiqets, Isango, Guide & Go, Musement, Klook, Travel Coup, Livn, Project Expedition, Groundline, Feel a Place, and the CS website.
From 8th to 11th April, City Sightseeing featured in Seatrade Cruise Global at Miami Beach. With over 11,000 professional visitors, it was a record edition of the world’s largest trade show for the cruise industry.
UKInbound, the trade association representing the UK’s inbound tourism sector, celebrated its Annual Convention in Glasgow from 6th to 8th February. City Sightseeing sponsored one of the awards. 30
TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
CSR
El Bus de la Ilusión
Accesible Glasgow
Recyclable bottles
In March, Ateneo de Sevilla, Autismo Sevilla, and Fundación Pequeño Deseo visited us to share experiences on the latest edition of El Bus de la Ilusión and receive the donation.
Glasgow is both Scotland’s largest city and most accessible. The easiest way to discover the city is by taking advantage of a City Sightseeing fully accessible bus tour.
A CS Malaga campaign with recyclable water bottles inspired us at CS Worldwide to bring this sustainable packaging to FITUR Madrid and the WTTC Global Summit.
Especially For You
Sustainable WTTC
Moscow #Earthhour
CS Cape Town was included in the list of discounts for pensioners shared by the consumer journalist Wendy Knowler. The CS Cape Town Pensioners Special is half the normal price.
The WTTC Global Summit held in Seville received a sustainability certification. As a sponsor of the event, City Sightseeing was also requested to promote in an environmentally sustainable way.
For yet another year, Moscow took part in the global call to individuals, businesses and cities to switch off the lights and share their messages under the hashtag #Earthhour.
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CS Operators Outstanding News from Your Operations
‘Gunners’ on board In March, Arsenal FC travelled to Dubai for a friendly match as well as the official inauguration of Al Maktoum Stadium. Can you imagine how the football stars chose to discover the Emirate?
Irish FA Tours
CS York, Excellent!
CS Edinburgh
Our friends from Belfast showed off the new design promoting their tours at Windsor Park International Stadium. Passengers can also combine a stadium tour with the city bus tour.
Our friends from CS York have been awarded with the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence for their consistently fantastic reviews throughout 2018. Congratulations!
The CS Edinburgh bus tour was ranked among the Top 10 UK Experiences & Channel Islands according to the 2018 TripAdvisor Traveller Choice Awards.
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TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
Roman Tours
Oxford Visitor Pass Naples’ bestseller
CS Chester launched bus tours focused on Roman history. The route includes 15 stops such as the Roman Amphitheatre, River Dee, cathedral, Grosvenor Museum, and historic Walls.
CS Oxford launched a new sightseeing card to encourage visitors to stay in Oxford. The Oxford Pass has been devised by Experience Oxfordshire, Blenheim Palace, and CS Oxford.
CS Naples has launched a new bus tour in Naples based on the neighbourhood where author Elena Ferrante set her bestselling novels and TV series – Rione Luzzatti.
Hello Miss Russia!
Bus Tour 4 Charity
Seville Police
Before being crowned Miss Russia on 13th April, Alina Sanko and the other Miss Russia beauty contestants had the opportunity to enjoy Moscow from the top deck of a CS Moscow bus.
Our friends from CS Prague do a great job along with Chance 4 Children fundraisers. When travellers buy a ticket proceeds go towards helping young people in the country who need it most!
CS Seville did a special service for the 20th anniversary for the Seville Police. About 67 policemen and 2 policewomen celebrated on board their 20 years of service to the city.
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CS Family Staff Stories
CS Russia & the North Pole In February, CS Russia embarked on an adventure of a lifetime and made their up to the North Pole with hopes of exploring the entire Polar Circle and reaching the northernmost part of continental Europe.
Live Walk Challenge Miguel & Ivan
Cartagena Kindness
The CS Panama team took part in the Live Walk Challenge with a walking tour through the old town in Panama City. It was challenging and funny at the same time!
At CS Cartagena they say they don’t sell tours, they provide with fun, friendship and new experiences. Their kind staff is always careful with passengers satisfaction.
In March, our friend Ivan took Miguel to Madrid, Spain, in order to be treated in a Spanish hospital. Miguel is one of the children helped by Ivan’s NGO Doble Corazón (Double Heart) in Cameroon. 34
TopDeck TopDeck Magazine Magazine | #21 | #22 | January | May 2019
Cedric in the news
Roza on TV
A Happy Team
Cedric Scherer, general manager of CS Dubai talked to hoteliermiddleeast.com about the operation’s latest products, including the “Pearl Experience”.
Roza Zhandarova is a driver for CS Kazan. On the International Women’s Day, she was featured in a segment of the TNV channel in the Tatarstan region.
All the CS Athens staff had a great day celebrating the 20th Anniversary bash held in the Greek capital. Have you seen their posts? Well done!
Back to school
‘Falles’ in Seville
Melbourne Experts
In April, Rocio Aparcero and Manuel Jimenez presented the history of City Sightseeing to the students of the German School in Seville. The same school where they both studied.
Mari Carmen Valero is from Valencia and is an enthusiast of her city’s traditional celebration – the Falles. In March, she was named ‘fallera mayor’ (queen of the festival) in Seville, where she is based.
At CS Melbourne Stop 1, Federation Square, the St. Kilda tour, City tour and Melbourne river cruises depart. For information on combo deals, the CS Melbourne friendly staff and drivers are ready to help.
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SuperPosts Best of Social Media
A
s As we all know, 2019 is a very important year for the entire City Sightseeing international network, as it marks the 20th anniversary of the global brand. We are thrilled with all the effort and time you put into creating excellent social media posts, as well as taking part in our network-wide contest- City Sightseeing Birthday Bash. It was great seeing all of you come together and celebrate this great milestone by throwing one big “global birthday party�. With this campaign, we could truly see a unified brand.
Lauren Mogannam Online Communications Manager
To take you all back to 31 March when all these fantastic celebrations took place, here is a sampling of some great content that was featured on Facebook and Instagram for the occasion. Keep up the great work everyone!
Super Posts! From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram, there are constantly great posts published throughout the City Sightseeing network to promote the global brand, give information, and inspire those to hop-on and discover a city with City Sightseeing. Here are a few posts that we have selected that have done just that.
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TopDeck Magazine | #22 | May 2019
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The Wall
Social stories
Twitter | Facebook | TripAdvisor | TrustPilot | Viator | GetYourGuide @tulipandphoenix. Thinking of hopping on the popular #CapeTown City Sightseeing #RedBus? Here’s what to expect on the Mini Peninsula tour which takes you from the City center all the way to #HoutBay and back along the pinturesque de Victoria road. Pmuchnik - Dubai. Es una muy buena opción para recorrer la ciudad, hay 2 empresas que hacen este servicio y la mejor opcion fue esta. Con 3 días uno puede ver toda la ciudad y con varios extras que nos interesaban navegar por el Creek, por la Palmera, el Dubai Aquarium y visitar el global village (esta opción es por temporada de noviembre a abril), está dividida en varios recorridos y hay 2 tours de noche. En los buses te dan botellas de agua de cortesia. Tienen muchas paradas donde uno puede bajar y caminar y volver a tomar el bus para continuar el recorrido . Algunos son interesantes y otros no, eso lo selecciona cada uno. (...) Hay audio en varios idiomas, el bus en la parte alta esta dividido en tres con aire acondicionado, con un techo o sin techo. Los conductores son todos muy amables al explicarnos los recorridos o paradas.
Mlewis83 - New York. We bought the 72 hour tour combo and was brilliant and great value for money! We had full tours of the city along with the ferry ride and top of The Rock attraction, all were great! We got on the downtown loop bus one day and our tour guide was Allan France. He was fantastic, super knowledable, friendly and funny.
Natalie - Cape Town. Thoroughly informative and enjoyable.
Patricia - Belfast. Richard was our guide, he had a great mix of humour and knowledge. He was happy to answer questions if required. I would recommend the hop on hop off tour to everyone who visits Belfast. Maritza Guarniz. Amazing!! Good staff, confortable, excellent routes. I visited some cities in Europe with them and I enjoyed it so much. Chris J – Berlin. The tour is well described on both bus and boat and is available in a number of languages other than English. The bus route covers many of the major attactions in the city. The buses and boats are well maintained and clean and ran as regularly as advertised (Obviously depending on traffic). Marcia - Lisbon. The tour provided an opportunity for me to decide which places to explore on my own. Quite enjoyable. Chrys Doughty - Barcelona. The bus was clean & tidy. ‘Hop-on Hop-off’ superb - managed to stop off at various points that we wanted to see during the course of the day. Felt that the ‘talktrack’ seemed to go a little out of sync on occasion but not a problem. Would consider doing again if we ever return to Barca. Oxana Gonchavora -Russia. Good excursion, good service, good people, beautiful cities. Karl-Heinz Vogler – St. Petersburg. The Personal was really great - they were very friendly and helped us a lot to find beautiful places in St. Petersburg. A wonderful city - but without the service of City Sightseeing we would have had some problems to find everything.
Social media really is the new phenomenon so on this page we hope to feature the best feeds from our Franchisees, some of our customer comments and also from leading industry ‘tweeters’. Send your social media namTe to topdeck@city-sightseeing.com and we’ll follow you. You can start with following us @CitySSWorldwide
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The travel of Peter:
The power of collaboration A road maintenance work begins at stop Nº4 of the route without prior notice.
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Bus Stop
4
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While the red line is on its route, the bus driver observes that the bus stop is out of service and notifies the operations manager via Bus2OnBoard.
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The sto
John, the operations manager, thanks to the new system functionality, creates a notification that will be displayed on all mobile phones in the city with Bus2App.
p Nº4 c
of ser The stop Nº4 is out
omes in
to opera
vice
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The notification comes in a Pop-up form on the main screen to all users of the App.
tion ag
ain
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Later that day...
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