In his words / Alexander Dochy – City Sightseeing Brussels
Brussels
Alexander Dochy CEO CS Brussels
Alexander Dochy manages the City Sightseeing brand in the heart of Europe – Brussels, known as the capital of the European Union, a transport hub and a vibrant tourist destination where the global brand acquires big exposure.
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Challenges for 2016 “Some parts of the centre of Brussels are becoming pedestrian so we have to reroute our itinerary. We are now working on new commentaries in different languages” The City Sightseeing brand “We are very proud to be part of City Sightseeing. It is very clear that the brand became very strong and recognizable. It will keep growing as more cities will join CS and more and more people will travel to our tourist destinations” 22
How is the situation of tourism in Brussels? Have you experienced the financial crisis in any way? The brussels operation in 2015 was very successful. The weather was quite nice all year long. The mild winter had a very positive effect on our numbers. So that tourism has experienced a recovery in central Europe. As the seat of the European Parliament and thus the administrative capital of Europe, what kind of tourist use to visit the city? It is clear that the EU calls a lot of business and political travellers but we also believe that Brussels as a tourist destination is becoming more and more attractive. Of course the European headquarters can be visited on our line 2, we have a stop right at the entrance of the European Parliament.
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What are the challenges of CS Brussels for 2016? We have some important challenges for 2016. Some parts of the centre of Brussels are becoming pedestrian. This means that we have no more access to the stock market area. We have to reroute our itinerary. Luckily the city of Brussels granted us a new very important stop between the grand place and the Manneken Pis (one of Brussels tourist attractions). In addition we are now working on new commentaries in different languages. How do you see the City Sightseeing brand in five years time? We are very proud to be part of city sightseeing. It is very clear that the brand became very strong and recognizable. It will keep growing as more cities will join City Sightsseeing and more and more people will travel to our tourist destinations.
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