Top Deck #26 by City Sightseeing Worldwide

Stage II/Issue 26

Locally written, globally distributed

The Travel Industry in the post-COVID Era

Leading the Recovery

es in London! s a c w o h s d n ra b S C / Destinations The l Summit a b lo G C T T W t a g n ri / Trade Shows Featu In this issue. LondonCancunOxfordYorkEdinburghSan AntonioHanoiSevilleBeirutBelfastMalagaLos AngelesPragueMoscowStratford-Upon-Avon

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 am happy to be addressing you again through our Top Deck magazine. For more than a year, we have been in contact in other ways, while we were all focused on very important issues, working for recovery. It has been too many months of problems, painful losses and difficulties to carry out our activity, but at no time have we stopped working for your operation and for the brand that we all share. As you can read in this issue, the City Sightseeing brand is shining again in one of the most iconic cities in the world. The launch of City Sightseeing London has been one of those opportunities that only appear in crisis situations and it is undoubtedly good news for the entire network. Indeed, brand exposure in such an iconic destination will help international travellers keep us in mind when they travel the world. As vaccination has enabled new operations and events to take place, the City Sightseeing brand has gained a foothold wherever the travel industry shines its spotlight. This has been the case for another year with our participation in the WTTC World Summit, but also in major global events such as EURO 2020, thanks to an agreement with Volkswagen – official sponsor of the European football competition. Additionally, in these months without operation, we have taken the opportunity to develop our technology not only for fixing problems but for building the City Sightseeing of the future. It’s been time well spent. In short, the time is approaching for all City Sightseeing operators to regain the normality they enjoyed prior to the pandemic and, thanks to the efforts made during this time, we can say that we will return stronger. Yours sincerely,

Stage II/Issue 26

Locally written, globally distributed

The Travel Industry in the post-COVID Era

Leading the Recovery

London! brand showcases in / Destinations The CS l Summit ring at WTTC Globa / Trade Shows Featu In this issue. LondonCancunOxfordYorkEdinburghSan AntonioHanoiSevilleBeirutBelfastMalagaLos AngelesPragueMoscowStratford-Upon-Avon

/ Staff Editor Antonio M. Ortega. press@city-sightseeing.com Contributing writers Rosana Pajaron, Terry Gabriel, George Grimley, Viviane Nasr, Jaime Ruiz, Daniel Vidal, Sharon Morrison, Pilar Malet, Chelsey Smith, Victoria Annett, Sergei Lavrentyev, Jane Marshall, Rachel Nettle, Mandi Jarman. 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

City Sightseeing with European football fans 06/09

18/19

26/27

The World postCOVID-19

The World of City Sightseeing

Gallery / Tour News

10/11

20/21

28/29

New Destination: London, UK

Special Feature: EURO 2020

Gallery / Staff stories

12/13

22/23

30/31

Special Feature: WTTC Global Summit

Purchasing Dept. Update

Gallery / The Best of Social Media

14/17

Gallery / Corporate News

CS Operators Good Practices

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

24/25

32 The Wall

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Travelling in the post-COVID era The year 2021 may be the year in which we return to normality, with vaccines being administered throughout the world and the pharmaceutical industry also working on solutions that help weaken the influence of the virus. The world is safer against contagions now, when and how will international tourists return?

or too many people, 2020 was a year without holidays. In the best of cases, some have been able to travel within their own country. The fear of disease and the restrictions – including border closures and quarantines post-arrival – kept travellers at home or limited to ‘staycations’. Suddenly, travel became a luxury as it was until a century ago. Given the circumstances, the demand has been almost all domestic. In the main source markets, like the UK, Germany, or the USA, locals who could not leave replaced foreigners who could not enter. On the other hand, destinations like Iceland or the Caribbean with insufficient locals to replace absent foreigners, the COVID-19 crisis seriously impacted in the tourism sector.

In an industry capable of generating 10% of global GDP and employing more than 330 million people, international mobility is necessary to sustain local industries. At last, this came true after the first vaccines were administered. Different governments, organizations and the companies themselves issued their predictions about the return of travellers to cities. Whether in the summer, fall or in spring of 2022, depending on the situation in each country, the travel industry has been looking forward to the return of its customers, although its relationship with them will probably not be exactly the same as before the COVID-19 outbreak. Everyone in the industry used the upheaval as an opportunity

to rework how they function and families rethought how and where they could safely take their holidays. Many of the changes were seen to last only until a vaccine for COVID-19 appeared, but some will stick. How people are starting to travel in 2021 will shape how they travel for years to come. We saw hotels, airports, and other travel facilities and services becoming easier to clean and reducing touchpoints as priorities. Digital menus in restaurants, ultracontrolled hotel buffets, automated check-in – everybody emphasises hygiene, zero contact, and social distancing. Are they here to stay? There is a series of practices that we have all incorporated into our daily lives, such as the use of masks, hand washing, or the limitation of capacity in some

TopDeck Magazine | #26 | July 2021

indoor spaces. However, there are variables that affect the business model itself and that require deeper reflection for the sector. The middle seat on airplanes will not disappear as it could destroy the airlines’ business model. Cruiseship companies are also deeply affected in the way they operate. The new paradigm can affect even a broader focus and urban destinations may fall out of favour. In the other hand, rural destinations and beaches may grow. The entire tourism industry is getting ready to welcome tourists again. Ideally, with the virus eradicated by vaccines, but in any case, with the pandemic under control. This means putting into practice the necessary hygiene and safety measures, continuing with everything that has been learned

in these terrible months, and also meeting the new expectations of travellers. And for the tourism sector itself? Will it be possible to resume the calendar of trade shows, conventions and other professional meetings? To begin with, the events usually held at the beginning of the year were postponed to later in the year and now, the first shows have been able to return to activity. Extending the sanitary protocols for meetings has been shown to be as an effective measure. It was already seen at the Tourism Innovation Summit in November 2020. On that ocassion, City Sightseeing featured as a sponsor and witnessed it is possible to retake the trade show calendar safely.

In May, instead of January as usual, FITUR Madrid was the first experience of safe international mobility after many months of restrictions in Spain. On the other hand, also in May, ATM Dubai went virtual after a successful in-person event held at the Dubai World Trade Centre a week before. ITB Berlin held a virtual edition, while the WTTC Global Summit in Cancun, Mexico, was attended in person, with outstanding management of the COVID-19 protocols. However, the most significant example of the disparity of measures against contagion was seen during EURO 2020, where different host cities implemented different measures in terms of travel permits, stadium capacity and leisure activities. We are still learning to cope with the virus.

2021 Calendar UNWTO EXECUTIVE COUNCIL – 113TH SESSION Madrid, Spain 18/19 January SAFE & SEAMLESS TRAVELLER JOURNEY WEBINAR 28 January TRAVEL MEET ASIA – SOUTHEAST ASIA 24/25 February ITB BERLIN Berlin, Germany 9/12 March WTM AFRICA Cape Town, South Africa 7/9 April WTTC GLOBAL SUMMIT Cancun, Mexico 25/27 April ITB CHINA SPECIAL EDITION Beijing, China 7/8 May BIT MILANO Milan, Italy 9/11 May ATM DUBAI Dubai, UAE 16/19 May LAUNCH OF CITY SIGHTSEEING LONDON London, United Kingdom 20 May

FITUR MADRID Madrid, Spain 19/23 May

DUBAI EXPO 2020 Dubai, UAE 1 October (opening ceremony)

ATM DUBAI VIRTUAL Dubai, UAE 24/26 May

THE TRAVEL CONVENTION (ABTA) London, United Kingdom 13 October

TRAVEL MEET ASIA – MICE & CORPORATE 9/10 June UEFA EURO 2020 Copenhagen, Denmark London, United Kingdom 11 June/11 July 6TH UNWTO WORLD FORUM ON GASTRONOMY TOURISM Bruges, Belgium 21/23 June WTM LATIN AMERICA Sao Paulo, Brazil 23/25 June TRAVEL MEET ASIA – NORTHEAST ASIA 4/5 August ASTA GLOBAL CONVENTION 2021 Chicago, USA 23/25 August

ITB ASIA Singapore 27/29 October MICE SHOW ASIA Singapore 27/29 October TRAVEL TECH ASIA Singapore 27/29 October WTM LONDON London, United Kingdom 1/3 November TRAVEL FORWARD London, United Kingdom 1/3 November ASTA PREMIUM BUSINESS SUMMIT 2021 Austin, USA 3/5 November

WORLD TOURISM DAY 27 September

TIS GLOBAL SUMMIT Seville, Spain 10/12 November

IPW USA Las Vegas, USA 18/22 September

ITB CHINA 2021 Shangai, China 24/26 November

Major travel industry events are tailored to keep going in the year of return. Virtual editions, reduced capacity, massive tests ... This is the picture of an entire economic sector 08

LONDON TRAVEL WEEK London, United Kingdom November

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London destinations in the entire travel industry.

Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral, among other iconic sights, can all be seen from the top deck of the CS London tour, as well as a trip over Tower Bridge. An entertaining and informative commentary available in 11 languages will be in place to welcome overseas visitors as soon as they can return to this worldclass city.

CS London, which launched on 20th May, offers an open-top hopon, hop-off service giving visitors to the capital and Londoners a tour of the city’s most historic and iconic sights in the most fun and informative way.

Joint venture The newest City Sightseeing operation has been possible thanks to a joint venture between three tourism and urban mobility leading companies – Stagecoach Group, the UK’s biggest bus and coach

The City Sightseeing flag is flying again in the UK capital since CS London began operating in May, bringing a new exciting attraction to the city and huge exposure to the entire international CS network.

ity Sightseeing came back to London at a key moment. At a time when the country was re-opening and people were planning day trips and holidays, just for the restart of London’s economy. In this special situation, CS London increases the presence of the City Sightseeing brand in one of the most relevant

TopDeck Magazine | #26 | July 2021

“

“London is well-renowned all over the world for being an exciting and historic city that people want to visit, and by joining forces with City Sightseeing and Grupo Julià, we also have a great opportunity to encourage overseas visitors as soon as we are able” Paul Lynch Regional Director Stagecoach Group

operator, City Sightseeing, the world’s leading open-top bus and boat sightseeing tour brand, and Grupo Julià, a specialist in global tourism and mobility services. Together with renowned partners Stagecoach and Grupo Julià, we are able to provide the best experience to the city’s visitors. Finally, as happens throughout the City Sightseeing international network, all CS London services are fully COVID-19 secure, with regular touchpoint cleaning, hand sanitiser dispensers, PPE for staff, and the rest of the health and safety measures included in the City Sightseeing Covid-19 protocol.

“Since we founded City Sightseeing, London has always been an inspiration. After developing the hop-on hop-off service around the world through more than 100 cities on 6 continents, I am very happy to see City Sightseeing again at the cradle of the HO-HO business” Enrique Ybarra CEO City Sightseeing

“Offer the best hop-on hop-off service available in London. This is going to be the objective of Stagecoach Group, Grupo Julià and City Sightseeing in this new stage. Three operators, experts in our respective fields of activity and who share the vocation of service, quality and safety as three fundamental areas of our action” Jose Adell CEO Grupo Julià

”

Large events: WTTC made it possible In May, WTTC successfully and safely staged the world’s first major live international business conference in the COVID-19 era in Cancun, Mexico. The event was a platform for the recovery of the Travel & Tourism sector.

or many months, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has been calling on governments around the world to implement a comprehensive rapid-testing regime, which can restore international travel safely. Beyond just demanding, the organisation put them in practice and demonstrated that there is a way the travel industry can restart operating before global vaccination ends. WTTC’s annual Global Summit was successfully held following months of meticulous planning and implemented with rigorous health and safety protocols and measures to ensure the safety of all attendees – which included almost 1,500 PCR and Antigen tests undertaken during the event. More than 600 delegates from over 40 countries attended the Global Summit in Cancún, México, and COVID-19 tests were taken by delegates upon arrival, during, and upon departure from the hugely successful event.

Of those attending, 99.8% returned a negative result, with only two individuals testing positive on arrival and so were declined admittance to the ‘summit bubble’. Just one individual tested positive prior to departure, but due to enhanced health and safety protocols, such as mask wearing and physical distancing, no further positive cases were reported. To deliver the world’s first international event safely, the WTTC Health & Safety committee reviewed the global requirements and recommendations from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, the UK Government, and the Government of Quintana Roo. “Our Global Summit was proof that testing, along with enhanced health and hygiene measures, and mandatory mask wearing – complemented by the global vaccine rollout – is the key to safely reopening international travel” said Virginia Messina, WTTC’s Senior Vice President.

Full report: https://bit.ly/WTTCGlobalSummit2021

City Sightseeing featured at the WTTC Global Summit The City Sightseeing brand was once again present at one of the most influential events in the travel industry. The company’s CEO Enrique Ybarra participated in an expert panel on “Rebuilding traveller confidence in the wake of COVID-19” as part of the WTTC Global Summit in Cancún, México.

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“We showed the world how international events, and indeed international travel, can take place by observing the latest health and safety protocols”

“As we accelerate our recovery, we need to redouble our efforts to remove barriers to mobility such as quarantines, focus on testing, and accelerate the vaccination rollout globally”

“The pandemic has shown how globally interconnected we are and the need to enhance our global collaboration, work across the public and private sector”

Maribel Rodríguez Senior Vice President WTTC

Gloria Guevara Former Vice President WTTC

Arnold Donald Chairman WTTC

CS Operators Good Practices for overcoming the crisis All City Sightseeing operators have been exemplary in managing the crisis caused by COVID-19. Here we gather some of them as a sample of the great work done in these difficult months.

rises are seen as times of opportunity, and while we would all prefer to innovate and develop new products under more favorable conditions, we have to acknowledge that some City Sightseeing operators have shown great imagination to get through tough times. Now we share with the rest of our global network some initiatives put into practice in locations in “The World of City Sightseeing”. Hopefully, these new activities, products and agreements with other players in the sector inspire other operators to apply them in their cities.

says George Grimley, CS Belfast Manager.

Although it is widely known that the open-top city tour industry has been the focus of intense rivalry in cities around the world, and Belfast has been no exception to this, CS Belfast were fortunately able to make peace with their current competition after various companies have come and gone over the past eleven years, “some more aggressive than others”

In cities like Cádiz and Beirut they decided to reinvent their products to orient them to the local public, since the borders were closed. And in short, all City Sightseeing operators have had to rethink their business and find feasibility solutions. We are confident that many of these great ideas will continue to serve when we get back to business.

This recovered spirit of collaboration could also be found in Berlin, where CS Berlin reached an agreement with a competing company so that the tickets sold were valid on both tours. In Budapest, as in other cities, our colleagues joined the fight against COVID-19. In this case, they went one step further and lent their buses so that laboratories could carry out express tests to detect infections.

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The End of Belfast ‘Bus Wars’ as seen by George Grimley Over the last several years, the rivalry for sales has been extremely high in Belfast and at times has been very aggressive leading to price cutting, fighting between street staff, physical assaults and police being called to deal with incidents on the streets. As you can imagine, this has been detrimental to the reputation of the open-top city tour business in the city. Our credibility with stakeholders such as the Tourist Board, vehicle licence and permit departments, police and local businesses were at an all-time low. Although City Sightseeing Belfast maintained a good individual relationship with all these bodies, and I’m sure our competitor would argue the same. The problem was that everyone was afraid of getting caught between the companies and getting involved with the situation, so they kept both companies at arm’s length. In February of 2020, we began to see the affects of the COVID pandemic in the UK as it started its global spread. Belfast was seeing plunging visitor figures and future cancellations were beginning to filter through. By mid-March we would see a suspension of all our services. At the beginning of March, there was communication between City Sightseeing Belfast and Belfast City Tours and a face-to-face meeting was arranged. At the first meeting, it was apparent that both companies were worried about the future. Instead of the arrogance and aggression of previous meetings, this was replaced with a feeling of honesty. It was a very frank meeting and it was apparent that both companies were tired of fighting. We agreed that when we could again restart our services, there would be no street staff and no price cutting. These were two very important issues and if these were successful then there would be a future for continued agreements. On the 3rd July, 2020 conditions were relaxed and we recommenced our tours and instantly both companies witnessed the benefit of the agreements. Throughout the second lockdown conditions in Northern Ireland, both companies continued to meet weekly to discuss further agreements and generally to chat over a cup of coffee with the atmosphere now being relaxed with a renewed sense of trust between us. We believe that there will be a different future ahead for tourism in Belfast and that both companies can work together with shared resources and new collaborative products to not only benefit each other, but will give a much better experience to our customers.

CS Budapest buses turned into mobile laboratories During these difficult times, imagination, flexibility and the ability to react quickly are good tools to overcome the crisis. For example, our colleagues from CS Budapest turned their buses into mobile laboratories to perform PCR tests in order to facilitate the early detection of COVID-19 infections. Surely any local governments and health companies could apply this great idea that will not only put the opentop double-decker vehicles into use but be very beneficial for the entire population.

CS Cadiz – Get to know Cádiz with the Whos In December, CS Cádiz organized two days of special tours for the families of Cádiz - “Get to know Cádiz with the Whos”. Accompanied by the inhabitants of Whoville from the classic Christmas story, young and old were able to enjoy a 1 hour and 30 minute show with different stops and challenges in order for The Grinch to recover the spirit of Christmas. As it was mandatory to book in advance, CS Cádiz colleagues could manage the capacity for greater customer safety, and also concentrate them up to

the maximum capacity to operate the service only if there was sufficient demand. In addition, the participants received gifts for attending and invitations for the City Sightseeing Cádiz tourist bus during the next year 2021, so customer satisfaction was very high. All the tours scheduled were fully booked and this experience will be put in practice in other Spanish locations and with different, seasonal topics.

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CS Beirut launched excursions and day trips for locals Since November, CS Beirut has added new exciting products to its portfolio with interesting excursions and day trips, including: - the 19th-century Beiteddine palace, located 43 kilometres from Beirut, - the typical village Deir el Qamar with its historical centre, souk museum, mosque and churches, 35 km away from the capital, - a family guided tour at Sibline Chocolate Factory to learn the history of chocolate, - a guided walking tour through Sidon or Saida, the third largest city in Lebanon, - the old roman UNESCO World Heritage-listed city of Tyre, - a guided wine tasting trip to the wine producing area of Batroun, with a stop in Byblos, - and Jeita Grotto, one of the world’s wonders. The tickets usually included transportation, guides, historical sites and entrance fees, wifi on board, coffee, brunch, and water. Wearing masks was mandatory and no bus departured exceeding the 50% of capacity.

CS Berlin partnered with its competition In the summer of 2020, when many CS operations were operating again for the first time after the COVID-19 outbreak, CS Berlin decided to join forces with the competition to favor the flow of travellers. In this way, the ticket of each company was valid on the other and travellers –mainly nationals– enjoyed a better experience at a time when it was not easy to attract customers. The German operations were among the most successful ones in this difficult period.

CANADA Toronto

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Los Angeles & Hollywood Miami * Natchez New Orleans New York Orlando ** Philadelphia San Antonio Seattle Washington DC *

ICELAND Reykjavik

PORTUGAL Albufeira Funchal Lisbon Porto Sintra

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 CYPRUS Limassol CZECH REPUBLIC Prague

RUSSIA Kazan Moscow St. Petersburg

DENMARK Copenhagen

Aarhus

ESTONIA Tallinn FINLAND Helsinki FRANCE Paris GERMANY Berlin Kiel

GREECE Athens & Piraeus Corfu Thessaloniki

VIETNAM Hanoi Saigon (Coming Soon)

HUNGARY Budapest

Malta

NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Rotterdam

SAUDI ARABIA Al Madinah

ITALY Florence Genoa Livorno Messina Milan Naples Padova Palermo Rome Sorrento Turin Verona

LEBANON Beirut

MALTA Gozo

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Sharjah

Potsdam

SINGAPORE Singapore

SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town Johannesburg & Soweto

AUSTRALIA Melbourne

NORWAY Alesund Bergen Geiranger

Oslo Stavanger

POLAND Krakow Gdansk

Warsaw

SWEDEN Gothenburg Visby

Stockholm

Celebrating travelling with European football fans A partnership with Volkswagen and special discount campaigns brought the global brand closer to fans of the EURO 2020 national teams. In the awakening of tourism in Europe, City Sightseeing shared the passion of football and travel enthusiasts.

rom 11th June to 11th July, the European football Championship took place in 11 cities across Europe. Eight out of these destinations are involved with the City Sightseeing international network and that gave us the opportunity to celebrate with the community of football enthusiasts in some of the most vibrant football capitals in the world.

EURO 2020 meant a great time for football fans and travel in Europe. With vaccination levels rising rapidly across the continent, football lovers from 24 countries moved around Europe following their national team. Taking advantage of this reawakening of regional tourism, City Sightseeing showcased itself at one of the largest sporting events in the world, with millions

of spectators across the globe and extensive media coverage. A great opportunity for all City Sightseeing operators! Partnership with Volkswagen Firstly, the brand’s presence at the tournament arose with Volkswagen choosing City Sightseeing Worldwide as its Official Mobility Partner for the UEFA European Football Championship. The German automotive brand was one of the main sponsors of the football tournament and, among all the players in the transport sector, Volkswagen decided to count on City Sightseeing during the championship.

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1 Partnership with Vokswagen as we announced on social networks. 2 Belgium fans in St. Petersburg. 3 Swedish fans in Seville. 4 The City Sightseeing Glasgow team supporting Scotland during EURO 2020.

Undoubtedly, a world-renowned brand like Volkswagen choosing City Sightseeing for such an important event revealed the relevance of the global brand and brought trust in these uncertain times.

Anyone interested not just in the matches, but also in discovering, exploring, and enjoying some of the most stunning cities in Europe could enjoy a discount of 15% by purchasing at city-sightseeing. com, using the code EURO15.

Discount campaign On the other hand, during EURO 2020, we also launched our largest discount campaign of 2021. Residents and visitors of five host cities could take advantage of 15% off in the City Sightseeing operations in London, Glasgow (United Kingdom), St. Petersburg (Russia), Copenhagen (Denmark), and Seville (Spain).

The celebration of the European Football Championship, together with the increase in vaccinations in Europe, was the perfect kickoff for the travel industry on the continent after too many months off the streets. We were able to celebrate this amazing event with the fans and give them the opportunity to leave

the city having not only enjoyed a good game but also having experienced the best sights. Partnership with Volkswagen All services have been fully Covid19 secure, with regular touchpoint cleaning, hand sanitiser dispensers, PPE for staff, and the rest of the health and safety measures included in the City Sightseeing Covid-19 protocol. It is important to underline our awareness of the health of passengers and team members at a time when every country, every city, every stadium was regulated by different rules.

If travelling returns, the City Sightseeing brand shines again Renew your supplies to return to the streets of your city. Trust City Sightseeing’s Purchasing department and get the best items at the most convenient price.

he summer season in the northern hemisphere is making it possible to bring many City Sightseeing operations back into operation. With vaccination progressing and restrictions being lifted, domestic and, slowly but surely, international travellers are starting to enjoy their

vacations – it’s time to get back on the road! To keep your operation shining like it did before the COVID-19 outbreak, don’t hesitate to renew your operating supplies. Go back to the City Sightseeing Purchasing Catalog and take advantage of discounts

and promotions. Get everything you need to provide the best possible experience for your travellers. Remember that you can customize a large number of items. With City Sightseeing’s Purchasing Department you can not only access the quality and convenient price you are looking for, but also ensure that your supplies will respect the City Sightseeing corporate image.

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How to order your corporate supplies Remember we improved the online ordering method. Please visit: https://purchasing.city-sightseeing.com and discover the new interface. If needed, ask for new login details by emailing purchasing@city-sightseeing.com

Corporate Personal Protective Equipment Now you can operate safely in CitySightseeing style thanks to the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) included in the City Sightseeing Purchasing Department catalogue, focusing on safety and the friendly design of the global brand.

Corporate News from the Global Brand

At TIS Global Summit From 10th to 12th November 2021, City Sightseeing will feature again as a Global Partner to share the experiences of the brand’s operators at Tourism Innovation Summit (TIS) in Seville, Spain.

On Booking.com

On CNN Int.

Supporting WTTC

Remember Booking.com vouchers are bookable through our partnership with Musement. They will automatically be recognised as scanning them. Also, some Booking.com vouchers specify Viator on them.

City Sightseeing took part in CNN International’s “Quest Means Business” television program, which is broadcast in 212 countries around the world. Definitely, great brand exposure for all operators.

City Sightseeing featured among the signatories of the latest WTTC calls on travel industry recovery, including letters and statements regarding the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States policies.

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#CitySightseeingCares

Discounts in York

Health & Safety

Dubai residents

CS York lined up special discounts on Sundays for York residents and 25% off all tour tickets at weekends for York’s key workers, as a token of thanks for their hard work throughout the pandemic.

The health and safety measures put into practice against COVID19 contagions are key for our customers. In the picture, CS Russia staff explain them to passengers.

CS Dubai relaunched its operations with its unique, award-winning city tour featuring new, enhanced health and safety measures, and an unmissable, limited-time offer for UAE residents.

Super Heroes

Car-free

On Recycling Day

The association ‘Por la sonrisa de un niño’ (For a child’s smile) has collaborated with several City Sightseeing operations in Spain to obtain free tours for sick children and their families.

City Sightseeing Bournemouth and Beryl teamed up to offer a car-free alternative for visitors and residents this summer. The discounted combination ticket gives customers 24-hour unlimited use.

City Sightseeing celebrated International Recycling Day. At the global brand, we try our best to protect the world we live in. That’s why we print most of our materials on recycled paper.

CS Operators Outstanding News from Your Operations

CS Bath contribution CS Bath’s response to a local claim against the operation of opentop buses serves the entire CS network – the importance of tourism to the local economy, its usefulness for visitor mobility, and the reduction of pollution.

Bus & Aquarium

Oxford recovery

CS Reopenings

In July, CS Palma partnered with local attraction Palma Aquarium to offer special fares to residents in Mallorca, including the aquarium, the open-top bus, and the sightseeing train.

CS Oxford & Oxford Bus Company created a revamped tourism management team across both companies to help drive the visitor economy focused on partnerships with other attractions.

The wave of reopenings in City Sightseeing operations around the world has been celebrated by the media as a symbol of recovery in Edinburgh, Cadiz, Brighton, and many more.

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Leading the way

A Tourist Icon

Hollywood/LA

CS Naples became the first operation resuming service in Italy. Everyone welcomed the return to activity as good news and other operations soon followed.

A CS Beirut bus parked outside Beirut’s landmark Mohammad al-Amin mosque was chosen to inform regarding tourism recovery. As globally, CS Beirut is already an icon of tourism in Lebanon.

No one is as used to living with the stars as our colleagues at CS Hollywood/LA. Pictured here with The Damn Team damn crew on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Youth Day Special

Museums of Sharjah Love is in the air!

CS Cape Town launched a special offer to celebrate Youth Day on 16th June with eager Capetonians. So they could explore all the nooks and crannies of Cape Town on its red double-decker bus.

The CS Sharjah ticket allows passengers to have free entry to 10 Museums along the route. In times of COVID-19 crisis, these value-for-money packages are a good way to recover. 27

The iconic City Sightseeing branded buses are popular around the world and loved by millions of travellers. Love is everywhere and can bring people together (Photo: CS Russia).

CS Family Staff Stories

Sergei in Nürnberg You know Sergei the explorer, Sergei the dancer, even Sergei the bullfighter. Did you know him as an actor? Our colleague from CS Russia has taken part in a film about the Nuremberg Trials straight to the Oscars!

EuroCityVision 2021

CS York family

Katie, Glasgow

In May, the CS Spain team took part in the second edition of the video & music competition EuroCityVision. Do not miss the opportunity to discover so much talent at bit.ly/EuroCityVision2021

In June, four CS York colleagues featured in ‘The Press’ – French student Juliette Brenot; Canadian Ross Sweeney; Ecuadorian Nicholas Sanchez; and Operations Supervisor Kel Pizzuti.

‘Glasgow Live’ count on CS Glasgow tour guide Katie Tennent to find out what the workers in Glasgow’s city centre miss most about the buzz of the city, and what they’re most excited to see return.

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Vahid, LA

CS Football Star

Katy, Ruth & Renato

The CEO of CS Hollywood/LA Vahid Sapir hopped on the bus in the first days of reopening after the COVID-19 restrictions. Supporting the team and the service!!

Ángel Guirado, who was a bus driver for CS Málaga, continues to live his dream in the world of football. His last team was Gibraltar’s St Joseph’s FC, which was promoted to this year’s UEFA Conference League.

CS Berlin gave voice to our international colleagues Katy, Ruth and Renato in order to share their experiences with the company as an advertisement to hire new a enthusiastic colleague.

Lola, Spain

Héctor, Córdoba

Alicia, HQ

Lola is the first daughter of Isaac Flores, Managing Director of CS Spain. In the photo above, with his partner Raquel.

Héctor is the first son of José María Sánchez, Operations Director of CS Córdoba and a key person in the application of technology in Spanish operations. Congratulations!

Alicia is the first daughter of Manuel Jiménez, Head of People. We have had a real baby boom at headquarters!

SuperPosts Best of Social Media 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.

On 21st March, #RockYourSocks! Today, we celebrate #WorldDownSyndrome Day and all those who have that extra chromosome! #WDSD21 #WeDecide #WorldDownSyndrome Day2021

@citysightseeingworldwide

TopDeck Magazine | #26 | July 2021

The Wall

Social stories

Twitter | Facebook | TripAdvisor | TrustPilot | Viator | GetYourGuide @emmathomson29 - York. @CitySSWorldwide Just to say our bus tour in York today was excellent - our guide was so informative (and entertaining!). Thank you for a fab trip. My dog Mollie loved it too Chiara – Naples. Hai poco tempo per visitare Napoli? Non c’è nulla di meglio che vederla a bordo dei bus rossi che attraversano la città: immergersi nell’atmosfera napoletana comodamente seduta e al fresco non ha prezzo! Un’esperienza da ripetere, dove la vera differenza l’hanno fatta Gennaro e Ivana, capaci di accoglierci con un sorriso e con grande gentilezza. Consigliatissimo! Adrienn – Bath. Great tour, nice places, interesting guide informations, kind and helpful drivers. We enjoyed it! Domenico M. – Moscow. efficient and punctual ... expect from one Bus to another (line 1 - line 2) maximum 5 minutes, the stops are very close to the places to visit.

Sarah Liggins – Edinburgh. Friendly driver, frequent service, cleaning regularly due to Covid 19. Excellent experience in Edinburgh

Anonimous. Muy buena opción si quieres conocer todo en poco tiempo.

Rebeca Shaw – Edinburgh. During these unprecedented times we were pleasantly surprised to find the City Sightseeing Tours still operating. All 3 lines were working together, which made for a wonderful Sightseeing experience. Thank you so much for some fabulous Edinburgh city history and facts. Maha Y. – Beirut. Great experience... we had a great time Bentley Bear – Oxford. Excellent way to see the city centre and learn some history along the way. It’s well priced, especially given they give you free headphones, and runs at regular intervals making it easy to hop on and off. Ana Maria - Belfast. Es una manera práctica y fácil de conocer este destino turístico. @WTTC. #WTTCMembers @CitySSWorldwide is landing in #London to discover, explore and enjoy all the city offers. More information: bit.ly/3obakWN. #WeShowYouTheWorld #WeShowYouLondon Seaside - Florence. This was a good way to start our time in Florence. There is a lot of different areas to see and the bus tour gives you good overview. The bus was on schedule most of the time and it was nice to be able to track the bus location with the phone app. The bus staff is very friendly!

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 name to topdeck@city-sightseeing.com and we’ll follow you. You can start with following us @CitySSWorldwide

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