Top Deck #24

Stage II/Issue 24

Locally written, globally distributed

New Destinations 2019

The World of City Sightseeing

val & TTG ri A t a t u o g in d n ta S / Sponsorships Latvia / New Launch Riga,

Awards

In this issue. OrlandoLondonRigaFlorenceSevilleBudapestRiyadhPhiladelphiaBelfastMalagaCape TownPraguePalmaMoscowBeirutPanamaCรกdiz

02 UNVI TD24.indd 1

7/11/19 17:15

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, In 2019, City Sightseeing has continued expanding its international network with new operations, partners, services and products. As we commemorate City Sightseeing’s 20th Anniversary, the global brand is in the best position to lead countless changes in the travel industry.

The strengh of the brand lies, firstly, in our wide presence in the most popular destinations in the World. Today, the CIty Sightseeing World Map offers international travellers unforgettable experiences both in mature and emerging destinations. I am thrilled to have been able to welcome new exciting locations to our portfolio in 2019 – Beirut, Lebanon; Dublin, Ireland; Seoul, South Korea; and Riga, Latvia.

As our bright, colourful buses and boats operate in the busiest places of various cities, the brand garners priceless exposure. However, that’s not enough and we promote our more than 100 destinations in the most important travel trade shows in the industry, such as WTM London during the final months of the year. Additionally, we have entered partnerships with key events in the tourism sector, like the agreement that was signed with Arival for the next three years – starting in Orlando last October – and the ones with TTG, ETOA, and, in April, with WTTC, among others.

Today, City Sightseeing is one of the leading brands in the travel industry and we have to take advantage of our position and our worlwide presence to take the business to the next level. Travellers are constantly demanding new experiences and, globally, there is no one better than the City Sightseeing operators to meet these demands and provide unforgettable experiences.

As the year comes to an end, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and the best for 2020.

Yours sincerely,

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Stage II/Issue 24

Locally written, globally distributed

New Destinations 2019

The World of City Sightseeing

Awards ing out at Arival & TTG / Sponsorships Stand Latvia / New Launch Riga, In this issue. OrlandoLondonRigaFlorenceSevilleBudapestRiyadhPhiladelphiaBelfastMalagaCape TownPraguePalmaMoscowBeirutPanamaCádiz 01 PORTADA TD24.indd 1

7/11/19 17:13

/ Staff Editor Antonio M. Ortega. press@city-sightseeing.com Contributing writers Var Na-Ji Gritbakk, George Grimley, Alfred Barone, Mandi Jarman, Sergei Lavrentyev, Viviane Nasr, Athena Papareskou, Karen Pearce, Antonia Jones, Hannah Hartigan, Gonzalo Ruiz, Chelsey Smith, Manuel Jimenez, Lauren Mogannam, Rosana Pajaron, Isaac Flores.

Production Antonio M. Ortega.

Publisher City Sightseeing Worldwide

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 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.

Views expressed in the pages of TOP DECK are not necessarily those of City Sightseeing Worldwide, their Franchisees, Associates and Partners or the Editors.

At Arival Orlando, celebrating the best part of travel 06/07

18/19

28/29

Mobile Payment

City Sightseeing’s 20th Anniversary Update

Suppliers: Latest News

20/21

Gallery / Corporate News

08/09 Interview with Claudio Bellinzona – Musement

The World of City Sightseeing

10/11

22/23

Special Feature: Saudi Opens Hearts, Opens Doors

Special Feature: Arival & TTG Travel Awards Sponsorships

12/13

24/25

The T&T industry acts to help the planet

Special Feature: WTM London

14/17

Special Feature: The CS Marathon Challenge – Florence 2019

2019 New City Sightseeing Destinations 04

26/27

30/31

32/33 Gallery / Tour News

34/35 Gallery / Staff stories

36/37 Gallery / The Best of Social Media

38 The Wall

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marketing@meingenieria.com (+34) 618-649-558

Mobile Payments in Travel&Tourism With 83% of passengers travelling with mobile devices, they are an essential part of the travel journey today. In order to get into Asian markets, with China leading the number of transactions, being part of the mobile paymnet ecosystem is not only important, but mandatory. Are you ready for the future?

I

t took 75 years for the telephone to reach one million users. In 2016 the Pokemon Go app was downloaded one million times in just 25 days. It is the sign of the times, smartphones have not only become commonplace in our lives, but essential.

for what to do and where to eat, or sharing their travel experiences on social media platforms. In effect, all these travel activities are supported by mobile devices, such as a smartphone or tablet, and thus create an on-the-go digital selfextension of individual travellers.

The Asian-Pacific region, and especially China, emerged as a clear market leader on expenditure and mobile payments. Over 60% of all global mobile payment users are Chinese. Furthermore, Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate the overseas mobile travel payment market.

Mobile device usage is well integrated into the modern Travel & Tourism experience. Travellers are using apps to arrange a ride to the airport, getting an electronic boarding pass, accessing in-flight entertainment, unlocking their hotel room with a mobile key, looking

Increasingly, travellers are also using mobile devices to pay for travel-related services. Of course, more and more service providers are implementing mobile payment options to help travellers pay for these travel products and services.

A report from the WTTC and the US-Asia Center looks at what consumers want as well as what is needed from both travel and mobile pay service providers, as well as from policy makers. While mobile payment services are not perfect, the potential is undeniable.

Flow of a Typical Mobile Payment Transaction:

POINT OF SALE MOBILE READERS

MOBILE PAY PROVIDERS

TOKENISATION / CRYPTOGRAM

MERCHANT

TOKENISATION / CRYPTOGRAM

FINANCIAL NETWORK SERVICE PROVIDERS 06

CARD ISSUER

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Recommendations that would support the wider application of mobile payments in global Travel & Tourism include those for travel and mobile payment service providers, along with policy makers: • Travel service providers need to recognise that using mobile payment is demanded by travellers. • As mobile-payment services are largely bound by individual country markets, an interoperable solution to connect diverse mobile payment systems is needed to resolve both consumer and merchant complexity. • For policy makers, maximising the opportunities that mobile payment systems can bring to an economy requires regulations to catch up with technology.

The CS Scanning System

At City Sightseeing we are working to improve the traveller experience in a paperless world aimed at carrying out faster and more reliable transactions. These improvements not only lead to customer satisfaction, but also facilitate the work of managing our operations and streamlines the way in which tickets are charged.

We are making a huge investment in taking the City Sightseeing experience to the next level, always aiming nto be at the forefront of the industry.

Take advantage of the developments that we are carrying out at City Sightseeing Worldwide for your operation!

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Claudio Bellinzona Co-Founder & COO – Musement Digital media expert and entrepreneur with over 15 years’ experience in building and sustaining top-notch, digital-related projects and innovative ventures. At the end of 2012 Claudio co-founded Musement where he’s currently the CCO. Musement, recently was acquired by tour operating giant TUI Group and became one of the top in-destination hub for travelers and domestic users worldwide.

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Recently, TUI bought the company you co-founded seven years ago. How do you see your team helping TUI become the number one tour operator again?

I would see Musement as integrated within this fascinating and multi-layered complex world of TUI, providing and delivering tours and activities, services, ancillaries of any kind to the TUI customers.

It’s difficult to say, this is not very easy just because of the complexity of the company.

It is multi-layered, it has been structured by acquisitions, and all the different countries we operate in, which are slightly different from each other. The source markets are different from each other. But the good thing is that the management and the overall strategy for the next five years is very clear and it has just one very clear pillar which is tours and activities and digitalization of tours and activities within the company.

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So how do you see Museument now within this world of TUI?

You have been through a lot of change during the last 12 months. What advice would you give the City Sightseeing team and operators?

I have always been dealing with change, all my life, and I think

Mind-changing “People are understanding that they need to be quick and fast, and sometimes less perfect because of the things that need to be done.”

I see Musement as the fundamental key technology element that will give TUI the possibility to aggregate and source everything that is needed for a TUI customer but also potentially to any other non-TUI customer.

that change drives other change, so there’s nothing that is always static by definition especially in business, especially in travel.

I used to work in the media industry and I can tell you that the media industry was really slow if I compare it to travel, I mean completely different pace. My only suggestion is that in order to understand change you need to embrace change, culturally by your attitude, by trying things, by something that we still do a lot and now we are trying to do as much as possible within TUI is about A/B testing, like trial and error which is not an easy thing to do when you are playing with the big giant.

Failing is actually the key and Musement has always been about trial and error, it’s about failing and rising up again, it’s about that and change, so embracing change through failures and small failures like the big players are doing.

If you take Google as an example, Google is failing constantly at the end. All the different services that they are bringing to the customers or services that they tried.

Nothing is fixed and static.

See the full interview in the interactive version of Top Deck at http://city-sightseeing.com/topdeck 08

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Claudio Bellinzona – Musement 09

Saudi Arabia Opens its Doors to the World On 27th September, the Saudi authorities announced a new series of investments and visa policies aimed to make Saudi Arabia one the top five destinations in the World. City Sightseeing was present among other leading companies of the travel industry invited to this exclusive event.

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n World Tourism Day City Sightseeing attended the “Saudi Open Hearts Open Doors� event, a highprofile meeting held in Riyadh with the presence of some of the most relevant agents in the travel industry. At this event, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announced the Saudi Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia aims to receive 100 million visitors annually by 2030 by following its strategy.

At present it receives 41 million.

By 2030, the Kingdom also

forecasts to be among the top five countries with regards to the number of tourists and visits with revenue reaching 10% of the gross national income, which currently stands at 3%. The sector will also provide an additional million jobs by then to the current 600,000 existing jobs in the tourism sector.

With over 10,000 historical sites in the Kingdom and many UNESCO listed monuments, Saudi Arabia is a destination to discover for international travellers. In order to facilitate visits and increase

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the number of visitors, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) announced launching the e-tourist visa, welcoming visitors from 49 countries.

The ceremony was attended by President and CEO of the World Travel & Tourism Council Gloria Guevara and Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili, in addition to a number of tourism professionals and international investors.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Future Developments in Saudi Arabia

The opening announced by the Saudi Government will help boost City Sightseeing developments in the country. As City Sightseeing is already present in the country with CS Al Madinah, which has been operating since 2017, the global brand is in an advantageous position to develop in Saudi Arabia. At the moment, the company is exploring new operations that will allow us to gain exposure in one of travel industry’s most promising emerging markets.

1 H.E. Mr. Ahmad bin Aqil al-Khatib, chairman of the SCTH board of directors, with the WTTC and international companies representatives. 2 Enrique Ybarra and Mr. Ahmad bin Aqil al-Khatib. 3 Reception in Riyadh.

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The T&T Industry Acts to Help the Planet World Travel & Tourism Council ushers in new critical collaboration with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health at the first Sustainability Leadership in Travel & Tourism programme.

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ustainable Tourism is not new for the travel industry.

After the United Nations’ International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development in 2017, the industry’s concern about the subject is taking the lead.

the global Travel & Tourism private sector, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health.

In order to discuss the future of the travel industry, CEOs and industry leaders gathered at Havard University in November to discuss sustainable business practices. They all heeded the call made by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC),

This event marked the beginning of a critical collaboration, with a two-day action leadership programme at Harvard University.

The partnership will bring about ground-breaking research in the form of case studies and key papers on sustainability and focus on best practices within the Travel & Tourism sector.

“I hope this programme and the research, will help usher in a new era within the Travel & Tourism sector – one in which both the public and private sectors work together to ensure social and environmental responsibility”

“The opportunity to develop an educational and research-led intervention, working with WTTC on behalf of the sector, has the potential to shift minds towards more sustainable Travel & Tourism for the better across the world”

Gloria Guevara, President & CEO, WTTC

Dr. Wendy Purcell, Director and lead faculty 12

The collaboration will initiate an effort to raise awareness, shift mindsets and enact change.

During the two-day programme, participants shared common goals, while working to challenge the status quo. Ultimately, these leaders have come together to support this sector as a force for good.

Drawing on global trends, participants were invited to envision ways that companies can embrace sustainable business strategies and engage in transformational leadership.

“The accelerating pace of climate change requires that we collaborate across sectors of society.

Working with WTTC is an opportunity to create a just future which respects nature” Dr. John Spengler, Akira Yamaguchi Prof. of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard T.H. Chan School

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

“Our planet, its varied societies and species face a growing, existential crisis. The discussions held at Harvard this week, initiated by WTTC, reinforced that sustainable, purpose driven tourism must be a shared industry goal, rather than a competitive advantage�

Brett Tollman, CEO, The Travel Corporation

WTTC and Harvard Chan School researchers aim to support Travel & Tourism leaders as they work to build the business case for sustainability, share best practices and support sustainability as a core strategic priority to ensure the sustainable growth of the sector and the co-creation of thriving sustainable societies. Speakers included faculty from Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard School of Public Health, such as Rebecca Henderson, Howard Koh and Ronald Heifetz and Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever and current U.N.-appointed SDG Advocate, together with the Directors of the Program, Dr. Wendy Purcell and Dr. Jack Spengler. They were joined by leaders from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Virtuoso, lebua, Carnival Corporation, Intrepid Group, Google, Hotelbeds, City Sightseeing, Apple Leisure Group, Indian Hotels Company and The Travel Corporation.

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Expanding the World of City Sightseeing Lebanon, South Korea, and Latvia are the latest countries to join the City Sightseeing international network with exciting launches in the capital cities. In some cases, the City Sightseeing operations not only bring a world-recognised brand to the new cities but also a hop-on-hop-off service.

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n 2019, City Sightseeing expanded its international network by launching in three new countries – Lebanon, South Korea, and Latvia. Today, the company is present in up to 38 countries with 119 destinations involved with the global brand.

In May, the launch of CS Beirut brought the first hop-on-hop-off service to the country and our

Lebanese operator is already working on launching more operations and introducing other products in a handful of cities throughout the country, including Jeita, Byblos, and Teleferique.

City Sightseeing Seoul allowed us to continue our expansion in Asia. The vibrant South Korean capital is one of the most popular destinations in the World and 14

a strategic location to continue business development in Asia.

Our latest destination, Riga, is the global brand’s first operation in Latvia and a new location which strengthens City Sightseeing’s outstanding presence in the Baltic Sea region, together with other stunning destinations like Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn, Gdansk, Kiel, and Stockholm.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

City Sightseeing operates in the most popular destinations in the World and the international network is continuously expanding to new locations in the 6 continents.

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Riga The first City Sightseeing operation in Latvia has strenghthened the global brand’s exposure in the Baltic Sea region. Riga is the largest city in the area and an exciting destination with much to offer.

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Riga is the first CS destination in Latvia, how do you feel as you introduce the global brand in the country?

Var Na-Ji Grytbakk Founder and CEO CS Riga

Everybody who knows me well knows that I love the City Sightseeing brand, and its a big honour for me to continue working with so many professional colleagues. Since I joined the brand in 2014, it is just getting stronger and stronger. I’m so happy to introduce the global brand in Latvia and having the opportunity to create good sightseeing products and experiences for happy customers. I’m also so glad that the municipality in Riga has welcomed us warmly to start the operation.

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2

How do you think you will benefit from our presence in the Baltic Sea region?

I think it’s very important that all CS destinations give a good quality service and I have already established talks with my good friends and colleagues Lauri Truve (CS Tallinn) and Sergei Lavrentyev (CS Russia) on how to work together in the Baltic Region.

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How do you see developing the brand in the largest Baltic city?

We started with two buses and four more will be operating next year.

We are also planning new products.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

The Operation CS Riga operates one route in order to show visitors the most exciting sights of the Latvian capital.

The route lasts 50 minutes and there is a 30-minute frequency between buses.

Commentaries about the city’s landmarks are available in eight languages and travellers are able to hop on and off at any of the 12 stops. The operation runs from April to December.

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iga is the largest city in the Baltic countries and one of the main tourist destinations in the area, welcoming 1.5 million travellers every year. Partly gothic, partly art nouveau, the Latvian capital is a beautiful and vibrant city with plenty of things to see and do.

“Its very difficult to choose just a few top sights”, says Var Grytbakk. “The top experiences include a visit to a ‘tea’ house (where they mainly don’t drink tea - but some stronger things), spas, the many parks in Riga, a visit to the market halls, and and a ride on the City Sightseeing bus of course”.

The City Sightseeing tour passes by Riga’s most popular attractions and monuments, including the Freedom Monument, the Nativity of Christ Orthodox Cathedral, the Opera House, the Central Market, the Old City, and the Dome Cathedral. All of these and other exciting landmarks are waiting for visitors in the marvellous Latvian capital.

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Highlights Founded in 1201 on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river The capital and most populated city in Latvia, as well as the most important city of the Baltic countries A UNESCO World Heritage Site receiving 1.5 million visitors every year

20th Anniversary – All Year Round!

From 31st March 2019 to 31st March 2020, the City Sightseeing family is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the global brand. The City Sightseeing operations from six continents joined in on the events organised by the City Sightseeing Worldwide staff during the key travel events.

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ity Sightseeing’s 20th Anniversary celebrations kicked off on 31st March with a global celebration on the same day at the different City Sightseeing operations around the World. Our operators from New York, Moscow, Athens, Edinburgh, Cape Town, and many more exciting destinations joined in on the Birthday Bash. It was only the beginning.

Taking advantage of the promotion of the global brand at the most important travel trade shows, the City Sightseeing Worlwide staff took this

celebration to major events like FITUR Madrid in Januray, ITB Berlin in March, and IPW USA in June.

This has been a fantastic opportunity for the entire City Sightseeing network to celebrate with our partners and friends in the industry and enjoy fantastic evenings with live music along with food and drinks. On 4th November, we experienced a new City Sightseeing 20th Anniversary party during World Travel Market 2019 at The Merchant, Canary Wharf. Read more on pages 22/23.

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Along with this series of global parties, many of the City Sightseeing operations celebrated on their own locally. In Spain, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have been some of the locations which invited their partners in the city to have a good time in the name of the City Sightseeing brand.

These parties, together with the sponsorships of the WTTC Global Summit 2019, the Arival events, and the TTG Awards, make the 20th Anniversary celebration an ongoing commemoration.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

A series of 20th Anniversary parties comes to an end!

WTM London was the last opportunity to celebrate City Sightseeing’s 20th Anniversary during one of the most important travel trade events in the World. After FITUR Madrid, ITB Berlin, and IPW Los Angeles, the City Sightseeing family gathered at The Merchant, at Canary Wharf, for the latest and last birthday bash in 2019!

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1 Keith McDonnell and Mike Jones (CS Dublin). 2 George Grimley (CS Belfast). 3 Pilar Malet (CS Worldwide), Jordi Garcés and Gemma Garcés (M&E Engineering). 4 Mercedes Becerra (CS Spain), Eva Planas (TMB), and María Molina (CS Worldwide). 5 Antonia Jones (CS Worldwide) and Mark Mattison (City Cruises New York). 6 Kenny Campbell (CS Edinburgh), Gary New (CS Worldwide), Elaine Green (CS Edinburgh), and Jane Marshall (CS Oxford). 7 GifGif competition at The Merchant..

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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

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 Bath Galway Belfast Glasgow Bournemouth Inverness Brighton Llandudno & Conwy Cambridge London ** Cardiff Norwich Chester Oxford Derry/Londonderry Stratford-upon-Avon Dublin York Edinburgh Galashiels (Scotish Border)

BELGIUM Brussels BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA Sarajevo CYPRUS Limassol CZECH REPUBLIC Prague

RUSSIA Kazan Moscow St. Petersburg

DENMARK Copenhagen

Aarhus

ESTONIA Tallinn FINLAND Helsinki FRANCE Paris GERMANY Berlin Kiel

LEBANON Beirut SOUTH KOREA Seoul

Potsdam Trier

GREECE Athens & Piraeus Corfu Thessaloniki HUNGARY Budapest LATVIA Riga

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

NORWAY Alesund Bergen Geiranger

Oslo Stavanger

POLAND Krakow Gdansk

Warsaw

SWEDEN Gothenburg AUSTRALIA Melbourne

UKRAINE Kiev

Stockholm

Sponsorships: Standing Out in the Industry The City Sightseeing brand gained exposure in two major events – Arival & the TTG Travel Awards 2019.

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s the City Sightseeing buses, boats, trains, and ticket offices are present in the main streets of the most popular destinations in the World, the exposure of the global brand is ensured. Thanks to the sponsorship of major events, CS operators not

only acquire great recognition among customers but among our partners in the tourism sector.

On 16th September, the City Sightseeing international network stood out amongst the top companies in the travel

22

industry as we sponsored the TTG Travel Awards 2019, which were hosted Jennifer Saunders from “Absolutely Fabulous�. Held at the Lyceum Theatre in London, the event awarded the leading brands and professionals of the tourism sector.

Specifically, we sponsored the UK Holidays Operator of the Year award, won by Shearings, with Butlins, Haven, and Hoseasons as runner ups.

The TTG Travel Awards are recognised as being the toughest to win in the UK and Irish travel trade, celebrating the very best suppliers and travel agents in the business and giving winners meaningful recognition that they can celebrate.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Legends Cup Palma From 3rd to 6th October, the Legends Cup gathered some of the best tennis players of all time at the Palma Sport & Tennis Club, in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Former ATP #1s and tennis stars like Carlos Moyรก, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Mats Wilander, Thomas Enqvist, David Ferrer, Mikhail Youzhny, and Elena Dementieva took part in this world-class event. Due to a partnership signed with this ATP tournament, the City Sightseeing brand featured among the Legends Cup sponsors, which ensured great publicity for the international network.

Additionally, due to the agreement signed with Arival, City Sightseeing operations are set to feature over the next three years at Arival events in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Starting on 28th October in Orlando, this partnership will allow City Sightseeing operators to stand out in the most important event of the Tours, Activities & Attractions sector, the third-largest and fastest growing sector within the travel industry.

The next Arival events are scheduled for March 1-3, 2020 in Berlin, and 15-17 June, 2020 in Bangkok. Together with Arival, the global brand will be celebrating The Best Part of Travel all around the globe as we promote the City Sightseeing operators.

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At WTM, the hub of travel ideas Over the past 20 years, WTM London has been a must for the City Sightseeing brand. From 4th to 6th November, the global brand showcased at one of the most important events in the travel industry and met with its international network to share its new vision.

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or yet another year, World Travel Market (WTM) London was a hub of travel ideas. From 4th to 6th November, City Sightseeing stood out at the ExCeL convention centre, which became the meeting place for the global brand’s operators, OTAs, airlines, cruise ship companies, as well as other partners in the industry, together with the media and international travellers. Like every year at the London show,

the CS stand, TA 150, was the place where sharing innovations, and creating endless business opportunities over the course of three days.

gather at WTM, including travel trade professionals, key industry buyers, over 70 tourism ministers, 3,000 members of the international media, and university students. This is huge growth since the first show in 1980 which featured 221 exhibitors and 9,000 trade visitors. Today, WTM London facilitates ÂŁ2.8 billion in industry deals and welcomes exhibitors from 182 countries and regions.

Every year, almost 5,000 exhibiting destinations and companies feature at WTM and welcome over 30,000 visitors interested in networking and negotiating new businesses and partnerships.

Overall, over 51,000 attendees

In this edition, WTM focused on Responsible Tourism. The goal was to highlight the solutions with a programme designed to help businesses and destinations thrive in increasingly difficult circumstances as the world bumps

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TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

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1 Meeting with George Grimley (CS Belfast). 2 With Marie Johansson (CS Stockholm). 3 With Yuhnis Sydnor (CS Philadelphia). 4 Visit of Antonio Jiménez and Antonio Muñoz, from the Seville Tourism Agency. 5 Coffee desk at ETOA stand, and CS booth. 6 Presentation of The CS Marathon Challenge with Franco Maddii (CS Italy).

up against the limits to growth.

The tourism sector cannot stand aside from the challenges of climate change, decarbonisation and biodiversity loss.

WTM also allowed the company to share the new vision announced at the latest Annual Conference, which also marked the 20th Anniversary of the global brand.

Together with a portfolio of over 100 CS operators, City

Sightseeing is becoming a leading In-Destination Experience & Attraction Supplier (IDEAS) to disrupt the industry as it did 20 years ago when the brand was established as the first 7 global operator in the hop-on hop-off sector.

In commemoration of the brand’s 20th anniversary, City Sightseeing threw a 20th anniversary party during WTM similar to the ones

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held at IPW Orlando, ITB Berlin, and FITUR Madrid.

At stand TA 150, the CS Family had the opportunity to catch up with the CS Worldwide staff and operators from different locations, including Edinburgh, Athens, Philadelphia, Brussels, Oxford, Belfast, Corfu, Malta, Milan, New York, Seattle, Florence, and Paris.

The Marathon Challenge Took Over Florence From 22nd to 24th November, The City Sightseeing global campaign promoted the Italian operation and the global brand at the Florence Marathon.

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rom 10th to 20th October, The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge opened participation to runners from all over the world for their chance to win an experience of a lifetime in Florence, Italy, during the 2019 Florence Marathon in November.

The 4th edition of the global competition allowed City Sightseeing to continue sharing the passion of running and travel with three lucky winners in the following categories: “Best Time (Male)”, “Best Time (Female)”, and “Best Story”.

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Once more, our three new winners had the opportunity to experience one of the world’s most iconic destinations through a marathon: Andreas Strassner, Julia Galuschka, both from Germany, and Josh R. Jones, from Australia. By taking part in IAAF Gold / Silver / Bronze Label marathons, The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge winners discover each city thanks to City Sightseeing, including an open-top double-decker bus tour and tickets to the most popular tourist attractions, along with free flights, accommodations, meals, and transfers.

Furthermore, this global competition allows us to reach marathon and travel runners alike thanks to social media and other media.

TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Florence, the birthplace of the Reinassance, is one of the most popular destinations in Europe with a number of iconic monuments, museums, architectural masterpieces, and artwork, including sculptures and paintings.

The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge allowed three runners discovered all these treasures as they strived to achieve their personal best. Thanks to this campaign, City Sightseeing Florence and the rest of the international network stood out to hundreds of thousands of travellers from the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Portugal, and Spain, along with other outbound markets of marathoners and travel lovers.

4th Edition After successful editions in Seville (February 2018 and February 2019) and Athens (November 2018), Julia, Andreas, and Josh became our new running ambassadors for the CS Running Team.

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News Discover the latest products, services, and novelties from our providers who are constantly innovating.

UNVI available DDOT Diesel E6, Full electric, Hybrid and CNG/GAS

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uring 2019 we continue to deliver our hugely successful and expanding range of URBIS open-top double-decker models.

More than 60 units will be delivered at the end of 2019 in different capitals and major worldwide cities, the majority being the diesel, hybrid, or 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, we have enhanced our enhanced offerings as we are expanding our open-top range with the introduction of our new CNG/GAS version. This year we have delivered our first six URBIS open-top CNG/ GAS units.

Another exciting development is that our COMPA T OPEN TOP is now more eco-friendly with CNG/GAS power (fuel economy) and with up to 30 seats.

Additionally, we also have our VEGA OPEN AIR diesel model with up to 20 seats.

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TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

The Bus Operative Family Keeps Growing

Embracing the future of electric buses

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There are a thousand ways to describe it, but the solution is still the same: Bus Operative. It sounds too good to be true - you might think. But it isn’t.

Lowest power-consumption in the market – Max. powersaving on electric buses, giving the bus more autonomy, as it doesn’t drain its battery.

IP Code 55 – Mechanical casings and electrical enclosures with high level of protection against intrusion, dust, accidental contact and water.

Per Modules System – Components can be studied, fixed or changed independently from the rest of the system; each with specific features that can be treated in isolation and keep the system running.

95% fixable – Very low percentage of failure with totally fixable components. This implies less waste for the environment and more savings for your company.

Customizable – Audio files can be easily edited on the CMS depending on client’s needs.

cloud-based system where the needs of your passengers, drivers and your own management are connected. A smart travel system that makes it easier for you to get, as well as to provide a better overview of your routes, operation, and experience that you provide. An app designed for three types of users...

Let our latest member of the Bus Operative Family, BEIRUT, Lebanon explain it to you instead of DESIC: “The City Sightseeing Beirut App has proven to be a great help to our operation as tracking the buses whereabouts was a hassle, let alone communicating with each partner, hotel and customer individually. Bus Operative has allowed us to track the buses in realtime giving our customers accurate ETAs and helping hotels to send their guests to catch our buses at the right timings.”

Do you also want to be part of the Bus Operative community? Contact us at busoperative@desic-sl.com and they are happy to schedule a meeting with you.

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t M&E Engineering, they understand the importance of offering high-quality products and adapting to their clients’ needs, as well as the market. They dedicate their time to developing an audioguide system that is 100% compatible with electric buses and meets the demands of the latest technological requests. Their guides’ main features:

M&E strive to contribute to a better world, so they have become more environmentally conscious and more inclined to align their brand with a commitment to sustainability, always focusing on providing high-quality products.

Corporate News from the Global Brand

CS Marketplace The City Sightseeing Marketplace is available to our B2B network thanks to a new partner portal that allows us to increase the volume of product on sale including those from CS Operators.

Integrations Update Branding Day

Corporate Image

Vouchers from TourDesk, Ingresso, TicketsToDo, and Globol are now available to scan with the City Sightseeing Marketplace App, as these OTAs join our scanning system. Go paperless with the City Sightseeing App!

The City Sightseeing brand got great exposure at one of the most important events in the travel industry, Arival, as you can see in pages 18/19. This fantastic brand exposure is sure to lead to greater brand recognition.

In November, we were invited to discuss branding and marketing at Branding Day, with professionals on the matter like Andy Stalman, Elsa Punset and some of the most successful advertising agencies.

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TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

CSR

AmeriCorps Arrival

Smyth’s Bucket List Cancer Awareness

The newest members of City Year AmeriCorps received a warm welcome in Philadelphia, where they arrived on board a CS Philadelphia bus. They are working as tutors in over 90 schools.

CS Belfast helped Darren Smyth tick an item off his bucket list.

The terminally-ill cancer patient and his family made happy memories as they toured Belfast with City Sightseeing.

On 19th October, CS Spain raised funds for breast cancer investigation and treatment. The staff helped raise awareness by handing out pink ribbons, while the buses featured the pink symbol.

Special Tour

Superhero Walk

Macmillan Support

On 2nd October, CS Seville toured the city with a group of disabled from a local foundation, the Hermandad El Rocío de Triana. People with special needs enjoyed their city from the top deck.

CS Belfast sponsored the Superhero Walk, an activity organised to support Mencap NI. At this successful edition, they broke last year’s record by raising more than £8,000.

On 7th October, the CS Worldwide staff organised a charity bake sale in the UK office in Birmingham to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

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CS Operators Outstanding News from Your Operations

Cape Town GYG Awards City Sightseeing Cape Town was nominated for the 2019 Get Your Guide Fan Choice Award. Our South African operator is one of the Cape Town’s top attractions.

Reception in Belfast Piano On Board

Silent Disco

The president of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Rajesh Rana, invited the directors of CS Belfast to a reception in recognition of their award as CS Operator of the Year.

CS Prague announced a partnership with Silent Disco Tours Prague to offer travellers an unforgettable walking tour with all favourite hits. Walk, dance or sing your way around the city!

On 21st & 22nd September, CS Cordoba hosted a series of piano concerts on the top deck of one of its buses as they partnered with the Festival Internacional de Piano Guadalquivir.

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TopDeck Magazine | #24 | December 2019

Mallorca Open

Netflix feature!

Day Trip to Jeita

CS Palma sponsored the latest Mallorca Open tennis tournament and hosted the drawing of the competition with the participation of tennis players Belinda Bencic and Paula Badosa, and coach Toni Nadal.

CS Moscow featured in a bus chase scene for the 2nd season of CH:OS:EN, an action series starring Zhang Junning and Cheng Yuanyuan, which is available to watch on Netflix.

Algerians, Brazilians, Turkish, Iranians, Russians, Egyptians and Lebanese tourists joined the CS Beirut cosmopolitan sightseeing day trip to Jeita Grotto & Byblos.

Night Mile Panama

Guardia Civil Tour

Scots in Russia

In August, CS Panama took part in the Boost Night Mile Panama with a special tour for the staff of the race and the Adidas Runners.

In honour of the feast day of the patron saint of the Guardia Civil, the oldest Spanish law enforcement agency, CS Cadiz offered a tour through the city for the service members and their families.

What can football fans do before an international game when they have little time to discover the city? Hop on a sightseeing bus!

That’s what Scottish supporters in Russia did in October.

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CS Family Staff Stories

Russian Vikings!

The CS Russia team performed maneuvers on historic Viking ships and got the opportunity to exchange experiences and test their strength in one of the most beautiful places in Russia- the Island of Kizhi.

Face of CS Glasgow

...And CS Prague

CS Athens Team

Don’t you love when our friends from the CS family share pictures of the local staff, who become the face of the operation, furthermore, the city?

Thanks to CS Glasgow posting this lovely picture of Alistair Ramsay.

“Our staff are on board and ready to assist you in any way possible.

Feel free to ask us for tips and hints to help you get the best from your Prague trip” says CS Prague with Sam in the picture.

Our friends from CS Athens say: “Teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” So true!

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TopDeck TopDeck Magazine Magazine | #24 | #21 | December | January 2019

Budapest at HQ

Expedia Conference 1st Female Skipper

In October, Dorottya Torok and Itsvan Torok from CS Budapest visited the CS Headquarters.

It was great to catch up with our Hungarian friends.

Charlotte Mander and Chelsey Smith attended the Expedia Conference in Las Vegas, where they had the chance to network. It was also great to meet up CS operators like Kian Farhadi from CS Hollywood / LA.

Avuyile Mqulo, 26, has been welcomed as the first female skipper on the CS Cape Town team as well as the only female skipper operating across the boating companies in the V&A Waterfront.

Congratulations!

Palma Running Team Karen at Seatrade

Raptors Parade

On 13th October, some of the CS Palma team members took part in the Palma Marathon.

There was outstanding exposure of the City Sightseeing brand at the starting and finish line, as well as along the track.

The Toronto Raptors hopped on board! Do you thing the City Sightseeing Toronto staff ever been more excited to come to work? Don’t think so.

In September, Karen Pearce had the chance to spend time with current and new partners at Seatrade Europe, in Hamburg, Germany.

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SuperPosts Best of Social Media

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s we wrap up 2019, there are some great things happening on social media to highlight as we look forward to 2020. We are thrilled with all the time you are dedicating to creating fantastic content. We are also very happy to see many of you posting more frequently, posting more videos, and making changes to align to the brand. This brand unification across countless profiles in the digital space only make the City Sightseeing brand that much stronger.

Lauren Mogannam Online Communications Manager

With 2020 just around the corner, we just wanted to highlight some things to keep in mind as we start the new year. As we saw this year, video content will continue to dominate social media platforms.

Furthermore, ephemeral content, such as Stories, will keep gaining popularity since people’s attention spans are short. Thus, try to create engaging, short, and addictive content that will reel users in. One change that is sure to come is Instagram’s removal of “Likes”, making the quality of the content that we put out even more important.

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 | #24 | December 2019

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The Wall

Social stories

Twitter | Facebook | TripAdvisor | TrustPilot | Viator | GetYourGuide @DLR_Vasu - Dublin. Want to explore #Dublin? The city bus tours in Dublin, @CitySSWorldwide, are a perfect way to see the city’s famous sights when you are short for time! lyndela – Joburg. We went on the Hop on Hop off bus tour around Johannesburg. It truly is a great way to see the city. We took the Soweto tour as well.

The guides were terrific and really know their stuff.

A shout out to ‘German’. He was a great guide and lots of fun. We took a smaller bus around Soweto and our driver and guide were terrific. Remember to have some cash for tips. In Soweto at the Hector Pieterson square, we had a local guide who told us the story. Overall we enjoyed our trip and would highly recommend it.

Suzanne. Informative and interesting tour, with a very friendly and enthusiastic guide and driver. Very good, thank you :>)

Chrissltd – New York. So good we had to come back to do it again and I’m sure we will be back again as it can take a few trips to see everything great place and people.

Cheryl - Norwich. Brilliant Tour! I have lived in Norwich all my life and learnt so much today...…..more than I did in any History lesson. It was fun, enjoyable.

We were very lucky we had the weather on our side so everyone was smiling on the bus. The Driver was lovely and very helpful. Well organised. Thank you and we will definitely be doing another. I have spread the word at work and now they all want to go.

B & C Manitoba – Edinburgh. Excellent for getting around Edinburgh first day there. It really helped to learn the city tourist areas. Áine Hennelly – Belfast. We toured with them in Belfast on 17th august celebrating my mum 80th, 8 daughters plus mum. Had a fab time. Staff wonderful.

They even managed to find a photo of us all sheltering in one of ther advert trailers while waiting on a shuttle.

Charlesc6680 – Athens. Narration on the Bus was good. Driver was very accommodating by dropping us off at a stop out of order from the regular route. A good, innexpensive way to get around the city.

Nkossi - Cardiff. Different tour guides mention different things as they’re going around, so it really pays to do the tour twice with a gap inbetween so you get different guides. The buses are pretty regular and useful for transport to the bay and back, it’s an ideal way to play the tourist! Our guides were fantastic and friendly. @VisitSeattle – Seattle. Visiting Seattle next spring?

See the city’s iconic sights and attractions with the help of @CitySSWorldwide! They offer hop-on hop-off bus tours with 33 different stops, including @pike_ place, @pioneersquare and historic Chinatown Gate.

Andi - Palma. An hour spent admiring the wonderful buildings (Cathedral) and the fantastic array of multi zillion pound boats in the harbour. Only €12 for an hour and it has a bar on board too. The weather was red hot so it was very pleasant to get out on the water and soak up some rays. We also got up close and personal with a huge cruise ship (yak)! I would recommend this little trip, take a load of those aching legs and admire the way the other half live. One can but dream!!

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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We keep growing!

What are you waiting for?

Join the Bus Operative family today!

Contact us:

www.desic-sl.com

+34 928 374 026 +34 928 374 028

busoperative@desic-sl.com