Top Deck #29

Stage II/Issue 29

Locally written, globally distributed

2022 City Sightseeing Annual Conference

Viva la Vida!

s Vegas, TIS a L l a v ri A , n o d n o L / Trade Shows WTM edition th 7 s it r fo le il v e S ge Head to / Marathon Challen In this issue. Las Palmas de Gran CanariaLondonSevilleSingaporeMalagaRiyadhGlasgowPanamaAthensNaplesCape TownYorkEdinburghFlorenceBeirut

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, As the year 2022 comes to an end, I want to thank you for all your hard work and commitment in getting this far. It has been a tough two years since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the crisis it has caused around the world, but at all times the City Sightseeing brand has stayed in the minds of international travellers, when they couldn’t travel and when they finally could, thanks to the work we have done at the head office and also thanks to your hard work.

This allows us to face a new year with renewed hope to maintain our leadership position in the travel industry, to explore new businesses and, after all we have been through, to be more aware of our place in the world.

At our latest Annual Conference, City Sightseeing partners around the globe came together under a motto that is a celebration of what really matters: Viva la Vida! I would like to convey that same spirit to you through this message.

At the same time, at this time of the year, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best for you and yours in the New Year. Together we will be stronger and together we will give back to the people.

Yours sincerely,

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Stage II/Issue 29

Locally written, globally distributed

2022 City Sightseeing Annual Conference

Viva la Vida!

, TIS London, Arival Las Vegas / Trade Shows WTM 7th edition Head to Seville for its / Marathon Challenge In this issue. Las Palmas de Gran CanariaLondonSevilleSingaporeMalagaRiyadhGlasgowPanamaAthensNaplesCape TownYorkEdinburghFlorenceBeirut

/ Staff Editor Antonio M. Ortega. press@city-sightseeing.com Contributing writers Rocío Aparcero, Paula Saboulard, Sandra Martínez, Estefanía González, Gonzalo Ruiz, María Molina, Chelsey Smith, Pilar Malet, Luis Miguel Labrado, Sharon Morrison, Viviane Nasr, Inmaculada Guillén, Luis García, Jerónimo Cárdenas.

Production Antonio M. Ortega.

Publisher City Sightseeing Worldwide

WTM London, Arival, Seatrade, and other major events 06/07

20/21

28/29

Economic Impact – The road to recovery

The World of City Sightseeing

Gallery / Corporate News

08/09

22/23

30/31

Special Feature: The CS Marathon Challenge

Gallery / Tour News

24/25

Gallery / Staff stories

Special Feature: WTTC Global Summit

10/15 2022 CS Annual Conference 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

16/19

Purchasing Dept.

Update

26/27 CS Partners

Special Feature: Trade Shows Q3

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

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34/35 SuperPost / The Best of Social Media

36 The Wall

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TopDeck Magazine | nº18 | Enero 2018

Multilingual Tourist Guide: High reliability at best price.

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MULTIMEDIA &ENGINEERING

IMPACT 2022

ECONOMIC

THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF GLOBAL TRAVEL & TOURISM 2019

2020

Travel & Tourism GDP (percentage of global GDP)

10.3 %

5.3%

2021

6.1%

Change in Travel & Tourism GDP (Year on year)

-50.4% +21.7% -$4.9 trillion GDP loss

+$1 trillion GDP gain

Jobs supported by Travel & Tourism

1/10 of global employment

333m

1 /12 of global employment

(2014-2019)

Change in jobs (Year on year)

1/4

of all global net new jobs were created by Travel & Tourism

271m 289m

1 /11 of global employment

-62m +18.2m Jobs lost

Jobs gained

The latest World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Trends Report, which was published in September 2022, revealed relevant information on the recovery of the travel industry. That’s the picture of the business on its way back to normality.

The travel industry on its way to recovery 06

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

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he latest World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Economic Trends Report revealed business travel is on the road to recovery despite the challenges of the past two years.

Research by Oxford Economics showed there has been no change in the top three countries - with the U.S. on top, China second and Germany third.

The U.S. remains the world’s biggest and most powerful Travel & Tourism market. Its top ranking was reaffirmed, despite suffering long and damaging travel restrictions, which did little to halt the spread of COVID-19 and only resulted in serious economic losses.

But the rankings are hopeful as the top economies bolstered their numbers through domestic travel, while international visitor numbers plummeted.

In the U.S., International traveller spend rankings saw it topple from its pre-pandemic top position.

WTTC’s data reveals that in terms of the Travel & Tourism sector’s contribution to GDP, China held onto its second position, with more than US$814 billion, while Germany remained the third biggest Travel & Tourism sector

in the world, contributing US$251 billion to the German economy.

The UK slipped dramatically from fifth place in 2019 to ninth in 2021, with a contribution of just over US$157 billion, the biggest loss of the top 10 countries.

In terms of international traveller spend, France, which before the pandemic struck was in fourth place, overtook Spain, China, and the U.S. to grab first place. China, which remains closed to much of the rest of the world, was in second place before the pandemic, but fell dramatically to 11th position in 2021.

Across Asia Pacific, major Travel & Tourism markets such as Thailand and Japan saw huge losses in international spending, which resulted in both markets - which were ranked fifth and eighth place respectively before the pandemic - dropping out of the top 20 altogether in 2021.

41% growth According to WTTC’s predictions, worldwide business travel is expected to grow more than 41% this year. It predicts business travel could grow an average of 5.5% annually in the next 10 years and may return faster in the AsiaPacific region.

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“TRAVEL IS BACK” As the WTTC opened its 22nd Global Summit in Riyadh, a new global consumer survey revealed that the appetite for international travel is at its highest point since the start of the pandemic.

According to the survey of more than 26,000 consumers from 25 countries, conducted by YouGov for WTTC, 63% are planning a leisure trip in the next 12 months.

The survey reveals that the appetite to travel shows no signs of slowing, with more than a quarter (27%) of consumers planning three or more trips over the same period.

Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said; “This global survey shows that international travel is back. The results of this global survey also show the growing importance of sustainable travel amongst consumers.”

WTTC leads “Travel for a Better Future” The WTTC Global Summit brought together more than 3,000 industry professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 28th November to 1st December. With the largest attendance in its history, the event served to analyse the present state of the sector and define its future.

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he World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) 22nd Global Summit took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in what happened to be the largest event in its history with over 3,000 attendees. Under the theme “Travel for a Better Future”, the event focused on the value of the sector, not only to the global economy, but to the planet and communities around the world.

From 28th November and 1st December, the most influential Travel & Tourism event in the calendar broke all records, with more international business leaders and foreign government delegations attending than ever before.

Speakers taking to the stage included former UK Prime Minister Theresa May, the UK’s second female Prime Minister after Margaret Thatcher, and the first to hold two of the Great Offices of State. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon also addressed delegates. Actor,

filmmaker, and Golden Globe winner, Edward Norton, also spoke during the Global Summit.

The WTTC major event brought together many of the world’s most powerful Travel & Tourism business leaders to discuss and secure its long-term future, which is critical to economies, jobs, and livelihoods around the world.

His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism for Saudi Arabia, said: “With more government ministers and world leading CEOs than ever before, it will be a true display of the future we want to create.

A future founded in public and private sector partnership, with sustainability and innovation at its core.”

City Sightseeing’s presence The City Sightseeing brand was present among the most important organisations in the travel industry with our participation in one of the event’s panels. Founder and CEO Enrique Ybarra discussed “The

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Global Leaders family picture in Riyadh. Participation of Enrique Ybarra in “The Rising Cost of Travel in Europe” panel. Venue of the WTTC Global Summit.

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

CS London great success

Rising Cost of Travel in Europe” together with Susanne KrausWinkler, Austria’s State Secretary for Tourism, Rita Marques, Portugal’s Secretary of State for Tourism, Eduardo Santander, Executive Director & CEO at the European Travel Commission, and José Ramón Bauzá Díaz, Member of the European Parliament.

The global brand is already one of the regular participants in the most influential travel industry meetings, along with the main corporate names, including hotel chains, travel agencies, airlines, cruise lines and, in short, the most powerful, influential, and recognised brands in the sector worldwide.

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A message to the entire City Sightseeing family: Viva la Vida!

The City Sightseeing global network gathered together after three years in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, engaging brand operators, our industry partners and prominent speakers to discuss the present and future state of the travel industry and, above all, to celebrate life.

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

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rom 19th to 22nd November, the 19th City Sightseeing Annual Conference took place in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. Three years had past since the previous one in Seville, in June 2019. After so many difficulties and challenges, the reunion finally took place with much to exchange on how to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, on new approaches to business and, above all, on life experiences.

If at the brand’s 20th anniversary conference we communicated a new vision as an In-Destination Experiences and Activities Supplier (IDEAS), at this long-awaited meeting we put people at the centre – Viva la Vida!

The wonderful island of Gran Canaria welcomed the City Sightseeing delegates with rainy weather, but nothing prevented all attendees from enjoying a memorable day of leisure, gastronomy and networking.

by inspiring experiences from our industry partners on brand recognition, new marketing trends and strategic alliances, the value of sustainability as an inseparable part of business, and corporate social responsibility to better understand our place in the world.

During the first two days of the conference we were able to visit the main attractions of the Canarian capital, take a trip to the south of the island and enjoy sporting, cultural and gastronomic activities. As usual, the business sessions were held on the following two days.

At City Sightseeing, we would like to thank our partners for their support in making this conference possible - Palisis, UNVI, DESIC, M&E, Hold-On Productions, Prioticket, and Wright Bus. Additionally, we would like to thank our partners Vodafone, Hard Rock Cafe, isango!, Civitatis, Biosphere and dalecandELA for sharing their experience with us as speakers.

On this occasion, corporate presentations were accompanied

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Great moments to treasure in Las Palmas GC!

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

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The Operator of the Year is... you!

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the crisis it caused worldwide, many companies in the travel industry have been in danger of disappearing. To make it this far, facing all the difficulties and new challenges along the way, deserves recognition.

For this reason, the City Sightseeing Awards that we

present at each conference Gala Dinner this year could not go to just one operation.

All members of the CS family are survivors of the worst crisis we have ever experienced. You are all deserving of the Best Operator of the Year award. Everyone was recognised at the most memorable moment of our annual conference.

Discover more at: annualconference.city-sightseeing.com/

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In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Gala Dinner was held in one of the halls of the Gabinete Literario, in an elegant 19th century modernist building. In this iconic space in the Canarian capital we shared one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of the City Sightseeing Annual Conference.

Congratulations!

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

City Sightseeing Cares – let’s give back all together One of the main conclusions of this year’s conference is our willingness to work together to give back to the communities where we operate. Through City Sightseeing Cares, the head office will be available to work hand in hand with the global brand operators on corporate social responsibility actions and thus amplify their reach.

1 Enrique Ybarra introduces the keynote speaker at the 2022 Annual Conference. 2 Jaime Lafita, founder of the association dalecandELA, during his presentation. 3 dalecandELA association merchandising displayed in the exhibitors’ area. 4 and 5 Workshops with the participation of City Sightseeing operators on social, sustainability and people issues.

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1

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

And the trade show season came to a close Some of the most important professional meetings of the year take place in the last four months of the year. City Sightseeing had an important presence in the most important ones, recovering the prominence of recent years.

S

ome of the most important meetings for the tourism industry take place between September and November. With World Travel Market as the main attraction, thematic meetings on cruises or technology, or those that focus on specific areas make up a calendar of events that the main tourism brands cannot miss.

These are the main events in which City Sightseeing has participated in the final months of 2022.

Seatrade Med On 14th and 15th September, City Sightseeing Worldwide featured at one of the largest and most important trade shows in the cruise ship sector – Seatrade Med. They were very productive days in Malaga, catching up with industry peers and showcasing our worldwide cruise destinations. This

year’s Seatrade Med edition was attended by 2,000 professionals, more than 200 cruise line personnel, and over 150 other exhibitors from more than 70 countries.

In parallel to the show, an exhibition of companies and services related to tourism and cruises was held in the Muelle Uno area of the Port of Malaga – Málaga Cruise Days. City Sightseeing also had its own stand at this event and showcased the global brand and the cruise destinations involved in the CS network to thousands of visitors.

Arival Las Vegas For yet another year, City Sightseeing was present at Arival | 360 in Las Vegas. From 10th to 13th October, we had an amazing opportunity to catch up with our

partners in the Tours & Activities sector, as well as forge new partnerships. This Arival was highly productive, and interesting, and provided a fantastic opportunity to network and learn. The pool party, sponsored by City Sightseeing Worldwide, was the icing on the cake. It was a great success!

ITB Asia On 20th October, City Sightseeing featured at ITB Asia as Gonzalo Ruiz, Head of New Developments at City Sightseeing Worldwide, took part in the Tours & Activites Leaders’ Panel regarding “The Return of Overseas Trips: How Tour Operators are Rethinking Travel for the Long Term”. The show was held in Singapore from 19th to 21st October and brought together thousands of exhibiting companies from the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, the Americas,

1 Meeting at the City Sightseeing stand at World Travel Market London 2022. 2 After TIS party outside Fibes exhibition centre in Seville. 3 City Sightseeing stand at TIS Global Summit.

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1 City Sightseeing stand at Seatrade Med trade show in Malaga, Spain. 2 Social Media post on the interview with Enrique Ybarra at ITB Asia. 3 Scan & Win! giveaway. 4 Interview with Enrique Ybarra at TIS Global Summit.

Africa, and the Middle East, including destinations, airlines and airports, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, inbound tour operators, inbound DMCs, cruise lines, spas, venues, other meeting facilities, and travel technology companies that also attended the event.

World Travel Market The City Sightseeing brand stood out at the London ExCeL Exhibition Centre at this year’s World Travel Market, held from 2nd to 4th November. The 2022 edition saw an incredible number of travel professionals attend the show with over 35,800 people participating – exceeding expected

numbers – and reaching over double the attendance than that of 2021. In addition, WTM London saw ministerial representation from 55 nations across the world.

The London show was the perfect chance to catch up with industry partners and promote the global brand and the over 100 operations involved with it.

TIS Global Summit For the third year in a row, City Sightseeing featured as a Global Partner of the Tourism Innovation Summit, TIS, the international trade show where technology meets tourism. City Sightseeing Seville provided the leisure activities in the city for all

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attendees, allowing them not only to access interesting presentations and panels but also to discover, explore and enjoy the destination.

Additionally, the City Sightseeing team participated in two panels on the application of technology in the tourism industry and traveller trends.

In 2023, City Sightseeing will return to major shows and expand its presence to promote both the global brand and the services offered by its more than 100 operators worldwide. Join the City Sightseeing team to expand our presence in these key forums.

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

CS London great success

Seatrade Med, Arival Las Vegas, ITB Asia, TIS Global Summit, and WTM London are some the most relevant trade shows in the tourism industry where the global brand stood out in the last four months of 2022 19

Just one planet to Discover, Explore, Enjoy.

Travel responsibly!

Affiliate (*)

CANADA Toronto

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

ICELAND Reykjavik

PANAMA Panama City

UNITED Bath Belfast Bournem Brighton Cambrid Cardiff Chester Derry/Lo Dublin Edinburg

PORTUGAL Albufeira Funchal Lisbon Porto Sintra

COLOMBIA Cartagena

PERU Lima

The World of City Sightseeing

SPAIN Barcelona * Benalmadena Cadiz Chipiona Cordoba Las Palmas Gran Canaria Malaga Palma De Mallorca Rincon de la Victoria Santander Seville Toledo

I F G L M M N P P R S T V

TED KINGDOM & IRELAND h Galway ast Glasgow rnemouth Inverness hton Llandudno & Conwy mbridge London diff Norwich ster Oxford y/Londonderry Stratford-upon-Avon lin York burgh

BELGIUM Brussels CZECH REPUBLIC Prague RUSSIA Kazan Moscow St. Petersburg

DENMARK Copenhagen

Aarhus

ESTONIA Tallinn FINLAND Helsinki GERMANY Berlin Kiel

LEBANON Beirut

VIETNAM Hanoi Saigon Hue (Coming soon) Da Lat (Coming soon) Halong Bay (Coming soon)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Dubai Sharjah SAUDI ARABIA Al Madinah

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

SINGAPORE Singapore

SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town Johannesburg & Soweto

AUSTRALIA Melbourne

Potsdam

GREECE Athens & Piraeus Corfu Thessaloniki HUNGARY Budapest Nyíregyháza

Visegrad

MALTA Gozo Malta NETHERLANDS Amsterdam Rotterdam NORWAY Alesund Bergen Geiranger

Oslo Stavanger

POLAND Krakow Gdansk

Warsaw

SWEDEN Gothenburg Visby

Stockholm

The CS Marathon Challenge is back!

After two years without running our global competition, The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge is once again taking three runners from different parts of the world to experience the marathon of their dreams. See you in February 2023 in Seville!

T

he first edition of The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge took place in February 2018. The aim is to hold our global competition twice a year, once in Seville and once in

another city in our global network.

Many of the destinations involved with City Sightseeing have highlevel marathons and, of course, they are all cities international

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travellers have to visit at least once in their life.

Since 2020, The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge has incorporated a charity initiative to give visibility to causes that improve the lives of others. Then COVID-19 came along and forced us to modify the initial approach.

In 2023, the original spirit of the The City Sightseeing Marathon

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

Challenge will return as we take three amateur runners to experience a marathon like famous athletes and enjoy a trip like real VIPs. And we will continue to support associations that work to improve the world.

The 7th edition of our competition will run from 5th to 31st December and the winners will be announced on 4th January. The three lucky winners will travel to Seville to experience the Seville Marathon on 19th February and will be accompanied by more than 200 solidarity runners wearing the City Sightseeing Running Team T-shirt dedicated to the dalecandELA association.

City Sightseeing operators are already familiar with the work of the dalecandELA association not only because we supported their cause in the Seville Marathon 2022 but also because of the challenge we completed in September 2022, covering 100 kilometres by mountain bike between Seville and Sanlúcar de Barrameda to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the first circumnavigation of the earth. In addition, its founder, Jaime Lafita, was our keynote speaker at the 2022 Annual Conference in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

Now we are ready to paint the streets red again with the City Sightseeing Running Team. Stay tuned!

See more at: themarathonchallenge.com/

In between, London 2022 In October, City Sightseeing was present at the 42nd London Marathon with three runners who carried the message of the dalecandELA association. The winners of The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge 2018 in Athens and 2019 in Seville, Manuel Gatón and Federico Pardo, repeated the experience as members of the City Sightseeing Running Team. They were joined by Kelly Willis (pictured) to help us raise awareness of the fight against ALS.

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Everything you need for your operation in one place City Sightseeing’s new Partners Hub will be soon available. There you can get the information, manuals and corporate materials that will help you operate under the global brand guidelines. Be sure to visit our site: operators.city-sightseeing.com.

I

n a world as competitive as the tourism industry, with so many brands and service providers offering experiences to travellers, strong brand recognition is an advantage over other players in the market. The City Sightseeing brand has been highly valued by customers, other companies and public entities during its more than 20 years of history. So much so that it is not uncommon to find imitations or copies that try to supplant our brand by luring travellers away.

In this context, the correct application of the brand is a must in order to take advantage of the benefits of belonging to the City Sightseeing network.

Until now, everything necessary to operate under the global brand

was handled directly with the different departments of the head office: Franchisees, Marketing and Communication, Purchasing and so on. From now on, all brand manuals, photos, videos, logos, supplies and other resources are brought together in our new Partners Hub. By visiting operators.citysightseeing.com you can find the following sections: Who is who to find out about the people working to develop the brand and support your operation and to contact them.

Corporate to download information about the company that can be used in press releases and presentations.

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Brand to find logos, graphics elements and everything needed for branding.

Partner benefits to get complimentary tickets and other advantages to be part of the network.

Manuals and docs to download all the instructions on how to apply the brand in operations, social networks and other aspects.

Online store to acquire the highest quality supplies necessary to operate at the best price.

City Sightseeing Cares to find out about the charity initiatives supported by the head office and other City Sightseeing operators and learn how you can join them.

Be sure to visit our new operator portal to keep up to date with everything you need to take advantage of the City Sightseeing brand. Ask for your username and password from the Franchise Department.

TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

The Partners Hub is the place where City Sightseeing operators can find everything they need, a web portal from which they can instantly download everything related to the brand.

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

UNVI new electric i23

T

he URBIS 2.5 DD is now available on the new Full-Electric i23, CNG and diesel. The Open Top i23 double-decker electric bus is 100% developed by UNVI. All components used during manufacturing are from European suppliers: batteries, axles, electric motors etc. The UNVI double-decker open-top i23 has been running for 5 years; there are 25 fully operational buses on the streets of Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam. The UNVI solution for these eDDOT electric buses is reliable and fully proven. It allows initial customers to send new orders to increase their fleet of the new UNVI eDDOT electric city buses. We currently have more than 30 electric units in our portfolio or being manufactured. Another current project is RETROFIT, which is the conversion and transformation of buses from diesel to electric for a minimum of 10 to 15 units depending on the model.

We currently have orders for 20 units to be produced.

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

M&E’s multilingual audio system for CS Santander

City Sightseeing caps on sale!

C

T

ity Sightseeing Santander, relies on the quality and service of M&E Multimedia Engineering to develop the multilanguage audio system for the new tourist buses and trains. They have the latest technological advances and audio is available in 16 languages.

he City Sightseeing Purchasing department is continuously renewing supplies in order to offer the best products at the best price, always in line with the corporate image of the global brand. In addition to their extensive catalogue, you can check out their limited-time promotions such as the latest corporate caps.

The City Sightseeing Santander train starts its journey at the entrance to the La Magdalena peninsula. From there, it travels along the peninsula, through pleasant countryside.

At M&E, we understand the importance of offering a quality service that adapts to the needs of tourists, so we are pleased to be part of an experience of emotions and discovery for people travelling with City Sightseeing.

Everything has changed. However, we are all in the same boat, and we are all in this together. We face this storm together, and we will come through it.

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Until 31st March 2023 you can get your hands on our red City Sightseeing caps with the logo embroidered on the front, left side and back. Made of 100% brushed cotton, their regular price is €6/unit. Now you can purchase them at €2.50/unit. 58% off!

Corporate News from the Global Brand

With the Saudi Royal Family During the WTTC Global Summit, Founder & CEO Enrique Ybarra had the opportunity to meet HH Princess Haifa bint Muhammad Al Saud, Saudi Deputy Minister of Tourism.

Great things to come!

World Tourism Day

UKinbound event

New eco bags

World Tourism Day was celebrated around the world on 27th September.

The CS network was filled with messages about the pleasure of travelling and the benefits of sharing experiences across cultures.

At the end of October, City Sightseeing was present at the latest UKinbound convention, where we caught up with 300+ members of the only trade association to represent inbound tourism in the UK.

Our Annual Conference in Las Palmas GC was the perfect moment to introduce our new eco bags for headphones. They highlight our commitment to sustainability, including eliminating all plastic bags on our buses.

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

#CitySightseeingCares

Electric CS Glasgow

City Sightseeing once again supported the association dalecandELA in its aim to raise awareness of ALS and raise funds for research and a better life for those affected. In September, CS invited the association to present its documentary “Tandem” in Seville and shared a 100-kilometre cycling challenge.

CS Glasgow announced a fleet of 10 fully electric buses for the summer in order to strengthen the city’s green credentials and reinforce our global brand’s commitment to meeting climate change goals.

Charity Bake Sale

El Bus de la Ilusión

Christmas gifts

On 5th September, the City Sightseeing Worldwide team in the UK held a Charity Bake Sale day for MacMillan Cancer Support, which allowed us to raise money for a good cause.

For the sixth year, CS Sevilla offers El Bus de la Ilusión (the Bus of Illusion) for Christmas, an activity aimed at residents of Seville to raise funds for social projects.

As usual in the final weeks of the year, some employees from City Sightseeing’s head office contributed to the Christmas gifts for children and elderly people in need.

Charity challenge accomplished!

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CS Operators Outstanding News from Your Operations

CS Saigon branding CS Saigon is an outstanding example of respect for the global brand. Our operator in Vietnam is exemplary in its buses, bus stops, offices and, in short, everything about its services well done!

Special tours

Palma Marathon

High school tour

For the sixth consecutive year, CS Budapest offered free tours to children with special needs. On this occasion, 45 young travellers enjoyed the best sights of Budapest.

For yet another year, CS Palma collaborated with the Palma Marathon and achieved great brand exposure, positioning itself as one of the benchmark companies on the island of Mallorca.

In November, students from the Instituto Bern Bautista Bilingüe School were able to learn more about the history and culture of Panama City through the CS Panama bus tour.

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

Tours X Toys

Xmas lights tour

CS Cordoba encouraged residents of their city to donate toys for children in need in exchange for free tours. The campaign was a success once again and made a lot of people in Cordoba happy.

Christmas lights, music and sweets were part of the CS Oxford tour that went through several areas in the county, chosen by the public in an online poll.

30th Anniversary

Christmas spirit

Part of the city

The history of CS Seville began in 1992 with two wooden trams brought over from San Francisco.

In its 30th anniversary, the company’s longestserving employees climbed back on board one of these trams.

On 18th December, the Chloe Maria Kreidi Association and CS Beirut spread the joy of Christmas with the Children of Mar Mikhael Parish.

CS London has made a big impact in the UK capital since its launch and is now part of the city’s bus stop signage. The brand was already very much present in the city, but now it is also part of the official signage.

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CS Family Staff Stories

Dancing Italy on WTD The CS Italy team celebrated World Tourism Day 2022 in a different way. From Milan to Palermo, our Italian friends joined their customers and said they were “felici di stare quaggiù con te!”

Ada’s visit

Luca, Seville

St. Andrews

Don’t you just love it when little ones visit their parents in the office?

We had the cutest little visitor in November when Antonia Jones’ daughter Ada came to see us wearing City Sightseeing red.

In November, Rosana Pajaron, our colleague from the CS Marketing and Communication team, gave birth her first son, Luca. The CS family is growing!

On 30th November, the CS Glasgow team celebrated St Andrews Day, Scotland’s National Day, when the Scottish proudly remember their traditions, culture and heritage even beyond Scotland’s borders.

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TopDeck Magazine | #29 | December 2022

Paula, Argentina

Johnnie & Bianca

SA Quality Service

When Argentina won the FIFA World Cup, all of us in the CS head office felt like winners as we saw the joy of our colleague Paula from the social media team.

Congratulations!

Johnnie (Captain K) and Bianca were recognized as the CS San Antonio August Customer Service Awards and won beautiful Yeti coolers for their fantastic work. Thanks for taking great care of customers!

“I wish everyone can love and enjoy their job like her” said customer Brilliant Brizzy on his lovely experience with a CS Cape Town staff member in November 2020 and December 2022.

Viviane’s speech

Wedding in Naples Love is in the air in Naples! Best wishes to Carla and Angelo, hostess and driver of CS Napoli, who got married this year.

City Sightseeing’s Annual Conference brought together a handful of speakers to present their expertise to the brand’s network, but one of the most inspiring presentations came not from external experts but from an operator.

Viviane Nasr moved the attendees and some of them said so publicly, like Andy Morison from London, as you can read in his post on the subject.

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SuperPosts The 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 people 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 | #29 | December 2022

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The Wall

Social stories

Twitter | Facebook | TripAdvisor | TrustPilot | Viator | GetYourGuide @AfricaGamesWeek - Cape Town. #AGW22 enjoying a #citysightseeing red bus around Cape Town while getting to know others in the gaming industry from across the world. #gamingcommunity #buildingcommunity #AfricaGaming

Jorge R – Seville. We are a family of 5, got support from Veronica who was really on spot with the recommendations and the tours she sold to us. Great service and support.

Adrienn – Bath. Great tour, nice places, interesting guide informations, kind and helpful drivers. We enjoyed it!

Christopher_S - York. Really excellent introduction to York for anyone visiting for the first time. I would highly recommend.

Sara Beasley – Edinburgh. Friendly driver, frequent service, cleaning regularly. Excellent experience in Edinburgh.

Laura - Dubai. Eigentlich alles super. Ein paar mehr Infos während der Fahrt zu Stadt, Land und Leuten könnten es seien. Aber sonst Top und easy.

Paqui García – Santander. Enhorabuena a Lamberto.

Un gran profesional, un 10.

Steven Delve - Florence. Fab day in Florence & Pisa.

Tour guide Alex was very friendly & informative. Great driving by driver Max, even took us straight back to our cruise ship rather than having to wait for transfer in town.

wildorchid99 – Athens. For about $20.00 for 2 days, this is the best option as a means for Transporation to explore Athens if you have limited time in the city. Ou hotel is located near one of their stops which is a plus for us. They also provide earphones, and they offer different languages to listen while roaming around the city.

Glasgow. Enjoyed the tour and the commentary..

@Juta_ZA - Johannesburg. We are especially proud to be hosting the Organisation of South African Law Libraries year-end function. We look forward to a proudly South African experience this afternoon. #citysightseeing #OSALL #InspiringPossibilitiesTogether.

Alan_F - Oxford. Fabulous tour around Oxford. The guide was brilliant, with lots of information about the various places. The weather was lovely which helped.

So much to see. With more time would have hopped off at some of the sites. Would highly recommend to do this tour. Great introduction to Oxford.

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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The City Sightseeing's very own magazine

How to enjoy the new Top Deck?

Share your stories with the CS family

The digital version of Top Deck is available at our own web site you can visit at topdeckmagazine.com

Send your operation and team news and let the rest of the network about you!

Email press@city-sightseeing.com