Top Deck #30

Stage II/Issue 30

Locally written, globally distributed

The City Sightseeing Experience

Discover. Explore. Enjoy

l Berlin a v ri A , in rl e B B IT , d R Madri / Trade Shows FITU le 2023 il v e S – n io it d e th 7 ge / Marathon Challen In this issue. BerlinSevilleLondonGlasgowYorkCape TownBelfastDubaiPanamaAthensSantanderSan AntonioLos AngelesOsloOxfordNew Orleans

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, With the first quarter of the year behind us, we bring you a new edition of Top Deck full of good news and very encouraging forecasts. Despite many challenges, the tourism industry continues its recovery, and the City Sightseeing brand is in a prominent position.

Undoubtedly, the notable presence we have achieved in some of the main professional meetings of the sector helps brand recognition and gets better deals for all operators involved with it. In this issue, you will learn more about our active participation in FITUR Madrid, ITB Berlin, Arival Berlin, and Seatrade Global in Miami.

New technological developments, global marketing activities and causes promoted by our City Sightseeing Cares team are among the initiatives that we have implemented in recent months and that we will tell you about in the following pages.

At the City Sightseeing Worldwide head office, we work tirelessly to help your operation and to strengthen our international network. We are ready to continue to lead our industry, and together we are going to do it.

Yours sincerely,

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Stage II/Issue 30

Locally written, globally distributed

The City Sightseeing Experience

Discover. Explore. Enjoy

Berlin Madrid, ITB Berlin, Arival / Trade Shows FITUR 2023 7th edition – Seville / Marathon Challenge In this issue. BerlinSevilleLondonGlasgowYorkCape TownBelfastDubaiPanamaAthensSantanderSan AntonioLos AngelesOsloOxfordNew Orleans

/ Staff Editor Antonio M. Ortega. press@city-sightseeing.com Contributing writers Rocío Aparcero, Paula Saboulard, Sandra Martínez, Bárbara Rincón, Daniel Castañón, María Molina, Chelsey Smith, Pilar Malet, Piru Galán, Miguel Centella, Luis García, Keith Spicer.

Production Antonio M. Ortega.

Publisher City Sightseeing Worldwide

The CS Marathon Challenge hit the streets on February 06/07

18/19

24/25

The Age of Cities

08/09

Special Feature: The CS Marathon Challenge

Gallery / Corporate News

An Outlook to Consumer Trends

20/21

Gallery / Tour News

Special Feature: Trade Shows

The IT Dept. presents “Connecting with the city”

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22/23

The World of City Sightseeing

News from the CS Partners

10/15

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

26/27

28/29 Gallery / Staff stories

30/31 SuperPost / The Best of Social Media

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

The Wall

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MULTIMEDIA &ENGINEERING

The age of cities It is no longer the time of empires, it is no longer the time of countries: it is the time of cities. In a global world, destinations are able to connect with people from all over the world. These are the most powerful destinations for the next decade.

are going to see new and emerging destinations challenging the traditional favourites,” says Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO.

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Over the next decade, Travel & Tourism is on track to become a key driver of economic growth once again, with faster GDP growth than other sectors, generating 126 million new jobs around the world.

eyond borders and nationalities, the present and the future belong to cities. In this hyper-connected world, people of all origins and backgrounds identify with urban destinations thousands of kilometres away. But which ones?

In January, a new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) revealed Paris as the world’s most powerful city destination but predicted it will be overtaken by Beijing by 2032.

According to key indicators such as Travel & Tourism’s contribution to GDP, employment and traveller spend, the latest research from WTTC and Oxford Economics showed that city breaks are back and growing in popularity.

And what is more, over the next 10 years, major cities such as London, Paris and New York will remain global powerhouses, but over the next few years, Beijing, Shanghai, and Macau will be moving up the list of top city destinations. “We

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Cities today are not just places to live, they are brands that inspire millions of people with a way of enjoying life, of being in the world.

There is a real connection between people and a place where they meet at the same time, whether they live there or not. It is definitely time for cities.

TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

PARIS LEADS EUROPEAN RECOVERY

ORLANDO BECOME TOP US DESTINATION

ASIA AFTER OVER TWO YEARS OF DISRUPTION

Paris has shown the strongest recovery in Europe, with the four next strongest being 18% to 30% below 2019, demonstrating slightly slower recoveries than the French capital.

In Paris, the sector’s GDP contribution was $38BN in 2019, but in 2022 it recovered to just 6% below pre-pandemic levels at an estimated $35.7BN.

Orlando is predicted to be the largest U.S. Travel and Tourism city destination in 2022 with an economic contribution of over $31 billion, representing 20% of the city’s total GDP and recovering above 2019 levels by $2.7 billion.

Five major Asian metropolises saw a significant economic rebound in 2022 – Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo. Beijing is expected to overtake Paris a the world’s largest city Travel & Tourism economy.

London, Berlin, Madrid, and Rome are also back on track as business travel is growing steadily. China’s reopening is bringing welcome visitors to cities. Tourists provide a massive boost to both the economy and job creation.

Las Vegas followed Orlando as the second largest Travel & Tourism market in the country, and Miami made the top city destinations list with a heroic GDP comeback last year of $11.1 billion that exceeded pre-pandemic contributions by 5%. New York City and Los Angeles also landed in the top U.S. rankings.

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THE UAE DEMONSTRATED REMARKABLE RESILIENCE WTTC revealed positive signs of recovery for the Travel & Tourism sector in Dubai and Abu Dhabi as overseas travellers head back, providing a muchneeded boost to economies across the country.

Post-COVID Consumer Trends The pandemic has resulted in the emergence of new trends and has accelerated others. WTTC, Trip.com Group, and Deloitte Global analyse the changing nature of people’s behaviour and preferences.

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he COVID-19 pandemic ended a decade of continuous growth for the travel industry, and the sector’s total contribution to global GDP fell by almost US$ 4.9 trillion in 2020 while 62 million jobs were lost. 2021 provided relief as the sector’s global economic contribution rebounded by 21.7% and it recovered 18.2 million jobs.

In 2022, demand for international travel returned strongly. Travel & Tourism may recover to prepandemic levels in 2023.

At this point, the return of trends like longer booking windows, with trips planned well in advance, and the revival of city travel, may be signs of a return to normality as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease around the world.

On the other hand, future shocks should not be discounted.

The sector faces a number of challenges, including high inflation; geopolitical shocks, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict; staff shortages and capacity constraints.

Consumers’ desire to travel remains unabated.

Last year saw a return to some traditional pre-pandemic trends among consumers, such as a renewed interest in visiting cities and booking their trips further in advance. However, the pandemic has also resulted in the emergence of new trends and the acceleration of older ones. These include the growing influence of social media on decision-making, the desire for flexible booking policies and payment options when booking a trip, and an increased tendency towards trips that blend work and leisure. Interest in sustainable travel remains strong, while the luxury segment has maintained its resilience.

Understanding and embracing these latest trends in an everchanging world should enable us to adapt and deliver authentic and memorable travel experiences while prioritising sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth that benefits people and the planet.

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Most popular source of travel ideas on social media

40% 33% 25% % of travellers using social media platforms to plan holidays Gen Z (U20s) Other (+20s)

39% 29%

Average length of stay 2019

2022

9 days 14 days

TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

Top destinations: bookings

New York

London Paris Amsterdam Barcelona Madrid Milan

Seoul Tokyo Macau Hong Kong Bangkok Saigon Kuala Lumpur Singapore Manila Bali

Istanbul Dubai

Sydney

Global sales of sun and sea packages

Global cities visits

+75%

+58%

2022 vs 2021

2022 vs 2021

Corporate travel flight bookings

+134% 2022 vs 2021

Business travellers likely to make a trip in next 3 months

58%

Of respondents that require occasional business travel)

Global spending by travellers (business + leisure) 2021

$150BN

2027

$360BN 09

Blended trip in 2023

1 in 6

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

Exhibiting at the world’s greatest travel showcases!

FITUR Madrid, ITB and Arival in Berlin, and Seatrade Global in Miami have been the most important trade shows in the first quarter of 2023 at which the City Sightseeing brand and its more than 100 operators around the world have stood out within the professional meetings of the travel industry.

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he promotion of the City Sightseeing brand and all the operators working with it is the main objective of the Marketing Department. To this end, we increase our presence at the main trade shows every year, allocating significant investment and human resources.

Our presence at events such as ITB Berlin or FITUR Madrid results in important agreements that benefit the entire network, presents opportunities to add new destinations and allows us to get in touch with the public, the media and many others who are relevant to our business.

In the first three months of the year, several of the most important travel industry exhibitions take place and City Sightseeing always has great exposure at all of them.

In addition to our participation in trade missions and other more localised professional events, playing on the big brand board is a great opportunity to position City Sightseeing among the key players in our sector.

Here is a brief summary of what the first four months of the year have brought in terms of our exhibition activity.

More than 80 cruise lines featured in this year’s Seatrade Cruise Global, with over 85 countries represented. There were 170 industry speakers discussing the hottest industry trends, as well as over 500 suppliers and 10,000 professional attendees.

Seatrade Cruise Global From 27 to 30 March, the City Sightseeing brand attended the cruise industry’s most influential event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The new edition of Seatrade Cruise Global was a

ITB Berlin The 2023 edition of ITB Berlin, held from 7 to 9 March, was one of the busiest ever, with 90,127 attendees and around 5,500 exhibitors from 161 countries. City Sightseeing participated in the return of one of

great opportunity to catch up with our partners and position the more than 40 operations from cruise port destinations in our international network.

1 View of the City Sightseeing Worldwide stand in FITUR Madrid, at Pavilion 8 of IFEMA exhibition centre. 2 City Sightseeing staff at our information desk in Messe Berlin during ITB. 3 Mara Ruiz, Enrique Ybarra, and Chelsey Smith at the CS branded welcome arch of Arival Berlin.

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Meetings in the City Sightseeing stands in FITUR Madrid (3), Seatrade Cruise Global (4), and ITB Berlin (5).

6 Kendall Bull and Pilar Lobo in Miami.

the travel industry’s leading trade events to promote the global brand and the more than 100 operators that work with it worldwide.

At ITB Berlin, the industry agreed that 2023 could become a record year – people’s desire for travel is back in many parts of the world.

Only the Asia-Pacific region is lagging somewhat behind, due, among other reasons, to China opening up its borders late. “Over the show the tourism industry displayed incredible confidence despite the difficult overall situation and geopolitical crises”, said Dirk Hoffmann, Managing Director of Messe Berlin.

Arival Berlin We had plenty of opportunity to make the City Sightseeing brand stand out at the latest Arival, the key conference for the tours and activities sector, held just before ITB Berlin. As sponsors of this new edition in the German capital, all operators of our global brand benefited from exposure at one of the industry’s key events.

Nearly 700 attendees assembled at Europe’s first 2023 event for tours, activities, attractions and experiences, with over 365 companies from 55 countries featuring in the German capital.

That means Arival’s biggest European conference ever.

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The sponsorship agreement with Arival is an initiative that has been in place since 2018 and allows us great brand exposure at their events around the world.

FITUR Madrid FITUR Madrid was a wild success, confirming the renewed growth of tourism worldwide. FITUR almost matched its all-time record figures, with more than 222,000 attendees, 8,500 participants, 131 countries represented, 755 exhibitors, and 66,900 m2 of exhibition space occupied. The Spanish fair had almost twice as many visitors as in 2022, with 68% more industry professionals attending.

TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

CS London great success

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City Sightseeing has a constant presence at major professional tourism industry events and sponsorship agreements within its tours and activities sector.

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#pedALSforlife – a global challenge against ALS At this year’s FITUR Madrid, City Sightseeing also had the opportunity to present to the tourism sector the great work that’s being done by our friends from the dalecandELA association, who you already know as they were our 2022 Annual Conference keynote speakers.

At FITUR, we launched the #pedALSforlife challenge, which we invited you to participate in by cycling, donating, and challenging your colleagues and friends. Julia Simpson, WTTC President and CEO, and Antonio Garamendi, CEOE President, supported the challenge by taking to the stage in the presentation.

For more information: http://bit.ly/pedALSforlife

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

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7, 8, 9, and 10 Brand exposure at Arival Berlin, where City Sightseeing featured as one of the main sponsors for the German event.

At this colossal event, the City Sightseeing brand shone. At our stand 8C07 in Hall 8, we once again welcomed our industry partners and promoted the more than 100 destinations that form our global network.

Fitur has historically been the bridge between Europe, Africa and America in terms of tourism.

For City Sightseeing, it is a great opportunity to be present in all these markets and to forge new partnerships.

New and exciting shows to come Exhibiting activity continues in the second quarter of the year with important events such as ATM Dubai (1 to 4 May), IPW (20 to 24 May) in San Antonio and Arival Bangkok (12 to 14 June), as well as new events after the summer.

City Sightseeing will continue to showcase the brand we all share in order to maintain our position as one of the most visible industry players not only in cities but also at professional events.

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Our trade fair activity includes both events open to the entire industry and those oriented towards specific segments, such as cruises and technology, as well as attendance at conventions of other major tourism companies.

That's how we ensure that City Sightseeing's operations are constantly on the minds of industry professionals and international travellers.

Just one planet to Discover, Explore, Enjoy.

Travel responsibly!

The World of City Sightseeing

The CS Running Team have done it again!

Three avid runners from three different countries had the chance to experience the marathon of their dreams in Seville as we organised the 7th edition of the City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge. Our campaign focused on the global running community.

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n February 2020, just before the outbreak of COVID-19, The City Sightseeing Marathon Challenge held the last edition of its global competition that allows three runners from anywhere in the

world to experience the marathon of their dreams.

Although City Sightseeing maintained its brand exposure in the world of running through

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charity projects, travel restrictions in many countries meant that it was not possible to relaunch the competition until this year, when we were finally able to bring the project back into full swing.

At last, we relaunched our competition, and three new runners were able to enjoy an unforgettable experience - Aidan Hobbs, from Australia; Bethany Brown, from the United States;

TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

and Daniel Llorens, from Spain. All three enjoyed an amazing weekend in Seville, getting to know the city and enjoying its delicious cuisine before running the marathon in the official City Sightseeing Running Team kit.

In the latest Seville Marathon, we were able to paint the streets City Sightseeing red not only with our winners’ kit, but with hundreds of runners wearing our kit, our buses parked along the route, our brand featuring in the last kilometre, and a powerful drumming band motivating the participants.

See more at: themarathonchallenge.com/

42.195 kilometres against ALS At the Seville Marathon, we maintained our solidarity with the association dalecandELA by encouraging more than 200 runners to wear the charity’s logo on their City Sightseeing running shirts and, in this way, we were able to support ALS patients.

Additionally, City Sightseeing Worldwide donated €10 per participant wearing a City Sightseeing x dalecandELA t-shirt, including our Marathon Challenge Best Story Award, Daniel Llorens, who usually takes part in marathons to support “Kms x ELA”. That allowed us to boost a joint campaign between these two associations to give visibility to ALS.

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

Connecting with your city Thanks to the new development of City Sightseeing’s IT Department, the brand’s operators can expand their presence in their city, generate new revenue with a new network of affiliates, and monitor their sales in real time with full transparency.

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onnecting with your city is a new opportunity to create a sales network in each City Sightseeing destination with clear and immediate benefits for the global brand’s operators.

The company’s IT department has worked tirelessly to integrate all of its own and its partners’ city sales into a single system.

Through a QR code that can be placed on a countless number of media, travellers gain access to the city’s tourism offering and thus enhance their experience.

The City Sightseeing operator is free to decide where to place the QR code, be it on their vehicles, at

their stops, or in their offices, and also to enter into agreements with other local businesses to extend their sales network in exchange for a commission.

The City Sightseeing operator manages to expand its presence throughout the destination by giving this QR code with the corporate image to hotels, tourist flats, kiosks, souvenir shops and, in short, in all possible establishments and businesses.

This multiplies the number of points of sale, which means more sales opportunities and more revenue. The operator chooses

the products he wants to sell, who he wants to include in his affiliate network and what commission he offers to each one.

And all with the greatest transparency, offering minute-byminute data on each sale that takes place through the City Sightseeing Worldwide market place, with the possibility of extracting detailed information on each period.

Want to know more?

Contact José Luque j.luque@city-sightseeing.com

The system developed by City Sightseeing provides instant information on sales of each product across the entire affiliate network, filtered by affiliates or outlets, days, times and everything you need to keep total control of your local network.

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

Purchasing Department: a constant renewal and improvement of supplies

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t the City Sightseeing Purchasing Department, we are continuously renewing supplies in order to offer the best products at the best prices, always in line with the corporate image of the global brand. In addition to our extensive catalog, we launch limited-time offers, such as our recent uniform caps and fleece jackets.

We are always delighted to introduce new supplies with improved features. Our new earphones, for example, were added to the City Sightseeing Purchasing Catalogue after being unveiled at our Annual Conference in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in November 2022.

As well as maintaining the same level of sound quality as always, the earphones come in new sustainable packaging that reflects City Sightseeing’s growing commitment to sustainability.

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

UNVI: NEW ELECTRIC i23

UNVI S.A. is a manufacturer of passenger transport vehicles (buses, coaches, Midis, microbuses, wheelchair accessible vehicles, VIP vehicles) and special vehicles (library buses, clinics, mobile offices, etc.).

NEW MODEL: i23

Today, UNVI have got a yearly production capacity of 700 buses and coaches.

Open Top i23 double-decker electric bus has been 100% developed by UNVI. All components used during the manufacturing are from European suppliers: batteries, axles, electric motors,...

The URBIS 2.5 DD is now available on the new Full-Electric i23, CNG and diesel.

UNVI: new electric i23

UNVI is a worldwide company with its headquarters in Ourense (Spain) and, as part of its international expansion plan; it also has manufacturing facilities in Porto.

International presence in the 5 continents

UNVI double-decker open top i23, has been running along 6 years: 45 buses fully operational UNVI URBIS 2.5 DD SIGHTSEEING on the streets of Paris, London, Brussels and The URBIS 2.5 DD model is the best seller vehicle in Amsterdam. UNVI solution for these eDDOT Europe and is present in the main cities: Berlin, Madrid, electrical buses is a reliable and fully proven Paris, Vienna, Munich, Oslo, Rome, Bath, Athens, Saint solution, allowign as result the first customers of Petersburg, Barcelona, Dubai, Busan, etc. electric eDDOT had sent new orders to increase Currently there are more than 400 URBIS 2.5 DD units fleet with new UNVI eDDOTNEW electrical city bus. i23 The URBIS 2.5 DD is now available on MODEL: NVI S.A. is a manufacturer of their passenger running worldwide.

We currently have more than 30 electric units in The URBIS 2.5transport DD is an open top double (buses, decker, full coaches, theprocess. new Full-Electric i23, CNG and diesel. Open Top i23 vehicles Midis, and in manufacturing our portfolio

U

low floor or low entry, with up to 67 seats upstairs Anothervehicles, projects that is being carried out is called electric bus has been 100% developed by double-decker microbuses, (maximum seating capacity in 3wheelchair axles version), accessible RETROFIT, conversion and transformation from Right Hand Drive or Left Hand Drive. It is available in UNVI. All components used during the manufacturing VIP vehicles) and special vehicles (library buses, clinics, diesel to electric bus for a minimum of 10 to 15 several lengths: from 10 to 14 mtrs. The URBIS 2.5 DD is mobile homologated worldwideetc.). as per the R107 andUNVI Class I have units depending on the model. To be from advised.

We are European suppliers: batteries, axles, electric offices, Today, got a yearly and Class II. currently have orders for 20 units in production.

production capacity of 700 buses and coaches. UNVI is a worldwide company with its headquarters in Ourense (Spain) and, as part of its international expansion plan; it also has manufacturing facilities in Porto. International presence in the 5 continents UNVI URBIS 2.5 DD SIGHTSEEING The URBIS 2.5 DD model is the bestselling vehicle in Europe and is present in the main cities: Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Vienna, Munich, Oslo, Rome, Bath, Athens, Saint Petersburg, Barcelona, Dubai, Busan, etc. Currently there are more than 400 URBIS 2.5 DD units running worldwide. The URBIS 2.5 DD is an opentop double-decker, full low floor or low entry, with up to 67 seats upstairs (maximum seating capacity in 3 axles version), Right Hand Drive or Left Hand Drive. It is available in several lengths: from 10 to 14 mtrs. The URBIS 2.5 DD is homologated worldwide as per the R107 and Class I and Class II.

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motors,... UNVI double-decker open top i23, has been running for 6 years: 45 buses fully operational on the streets of Paris, London, Brussels and Amsterdam. UNVI solution for these eDDOT electrical buses is a reliable and fully proven solution, which resulted in the first customers of the electric eDDOT making new orders o increase their fleet with new UNVI eDDOT electrical city buses. We currently have more than 30 electric units in our portfolio and in manufacturing process. Another projects that is being carried out is called RETROFIT, conversion and transformation from diesel to electric bus for a minimum of 10 to 15 units depending on the model.

We currently have orders for 20 units in production.

Corporate News from the Global Brand

CS Partners Hub As seen at the latest CS Annual Conference, CS Marketing have brought all the information needed to operate the global brand into one place.

Visit the CS Partners Hub at operators.citysightseeing.com.

We are on TikTok!

Upcoming events

IPW after party

In March, our TikTok account went live. We are always looking for new ways to showcase our tours and destinations to the world and TikTok’s creative and engaging video platform is an exciting new opportunity.

In May, we will continue to promote the City Sightseeing brand and the more than 100 destinations operating under the brand worldwide at major trade events such as ATM Dubai and IPW in San Antonio.

At IPW in San Antonio, we will partner with two prominent brands, Universal and Hard Rock to celebrate with the U.S. attendees at one of the highlights of the year. A huge party awaits!

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

#CitySightseeingCares

Join #pedALSforlife! Down Syndrome

Logos Hope UAE

The first pedals of #pedALSforlife were taken at FITUR, but City Sightseeing’s cycling challenge in favour of the association dalecandELA continues.

Find out more at pedalsforlife.org.

CS Sevilla joined the World Down Syndrome Day awareness campaign with Marta, one of the team members. They all wore mismatched socks and cheered up the bus with colourful balloons.

In April, the Logos Hope UAE volunteers team had a chance to hop on a CS Dubai bus. This NGO is the world’s largest floating bookfair. They travel the world to share knowledge, hope and cultural understanding.

A SERES member

Discounts in York

Sustainable Oxford

City Sightseeing has joined SERES as a further step in its commitment to a sustainable and responsible business model. Want to learn more about the foundation? Visit fundacionseres.org.

CS York provides 25% off tickets to NHS or Emergency Service workers at weekends as a small token of thanks for all their hard work.

They just need to show their ID card to the driver or sales team.

On 22nd April, to mark World Earth Day, CS Oxford announced a wave of measures to increase sustainability and reduce its carbon footprint after introducing new electric buses last January.

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CS Operators Outstanding News from Your Operations

Branding in New Orleans The correct application of the City Sightseeing brand is key to the recognition of our international travellers.

CS New Orleans’ buses look as good as ever, don’t you think?

Bright grey days!

Glasgow Music

10 years in Cordoba

Even on the greyest of days, it is possible to add a splash of colour thanks to the strength of the City Sightseeing brand. In London, it was a cloudy and rainy day, but nothing stops us from providing the best experience.

Visitors to Glasgow can discover their new music obsessions from the CS Glasgow music tour commentary. They can also get a sneak preview the music tour by downloading the Glasgow music playlist!

On March 19th, CS Cordoba celebrated its 10th anniversary showing this southern Spanish city to thousands of travellers.

Congratulations to the whole team for their hard work over these 10 years!

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

New London shop

Minister of Tourism Red bus, blue lights

CS London has a new shop! Located at 120 Southampton Row, it’s the one-stop-shop for all tourism needs, providing visitors with bus tour tickets, out-of-town tours and theatre bookings.

His Excellence MP Walid Nassar went onboard CS Beirut to place Lebanon high on the international tourism map from the Phoenician road to the Olive road, to the wine road as well as the religious tourism.

The City Sightseeing Belfast bus makes a cameo in a new BBC series called “Blue Lights”. Released in March, the series follows rookie police officers working in Belfast.

CS Scandinavia

Dubai partnership

Carnival parade!

New locations join the CS network in Scandinavia, strengthen the presence of the global brand in exciting destinations such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

Discover them on pages 20/21.

In March, CS Dubai announced a new partnership with the brand Abeona Tourism, which specialises in premium tourism services in Dubai.

The Madeira Carnival is enjoyed all over the island and CS Portugal took an active part in this popular festival. Great moments onboard!

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CS Family Staff Stories

April Fair reunion The team from City Sightseeing’s headquarters in Seville and the local operator held their annual meeting at the Feria de Abril. The women dressed in flamenco dresses for this traditional fiesta.

Visiting Oxford

Enrique’s 21K

CS Athens

Pilar Lobo and Mara Ruiz joined the UK-based Sales team and they all decided to go on a team outing for some team-building outing in Oxford. The experience was great for all!

“Your challenges and your dreams do not just happen, you make them happen. Go for them!

Do not ever give up!” said Enrique Ybarra after completing his first Half Marathon. Well done!

Lovely mornings with a lot of smiles help make memorable moments.

Good for our colleaguees from the CS Athens staff.

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TopDeck Magazine | #30 | April 2023

CS London Awards

Friends en route

Thank you, Tony

In January, the CS London team enjoyed their Award Evening.

Congratulations to the winning team members!

It is a joy to see members of the CS family visiting other operations. In this photo you can see Juan in Santander, spreading good vibes to colleagues from other destinations.

On 24 February, our colleague David Strainge posted a heartfelt message on Facebook in rememberance of one of his team members who passed away the day before: “Tony Hodson is an integral part of our CS San Antonio story – he was here right at the beginning of operations in late 2010.

Glasgow tour guides Panama drivers In April, CS Glasgow tour guides got out of winter hibernation ready to showing passengers Glasgow in the best way possible.

“Our drivers are the heart and soul of our tourist routes,” they say at CS Panama, and it’s good to recognise a job well done!

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Long days and often nights working on buses at the yard, staff training, route learning, scheduling and much else besides – Tony was there in our earliest days.

Being around Tony was never dull, a laugh never far off. He wanted to talk to anyone he ran in to.

Thank you Tony”.

We join in remembering him.

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 | #30 | April 2023

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The Wall

Social stories

Twitter | Facebook | TripAdvisor | Google | Viator | GetYourGuide @stefan_mcguigan - York. Nice sunny morning to be driving around york and back to a bus every 15 minutes. @yorksightseeing @yorkbus #citysightseeing

Questovia – Los Angeles. How fun to sit back and let someone else do the driving while we explored all the iconic sights of the greater LA area. If you go early enough in the morning you can hit all three of the routes for one price. Well worth it..

Carmen Nagore – Santander. Excelente servicio y atención de los conductores, majísimos y muy amables. Nos atendieron a la perfección y nos dieron muchas recomendaciones sobre la zona, lugares para comer, etc.

Heather_H - London. It’s a great way to understand the layout of the city and hear a bit of London’s rich history!

Judy Oberholzer – Cape Town. Excellent route schedules and friendly, well-trained staff. This is a must for any visitors to Cape Town who are not familiar with the city.

Belfast. Throughly reccomend using the hop on hop off service in Belfast .Good commentary, it went everywhere we wanted.

Eean Levin – Budapest. Fantastic tour option for Budapest! I highly recommend the combo bus and boat and castle tours.

Garry Blair - Glasgow. Brilliant tour! Took kids yesterday & back today, alone, for 2 rounds with the learned Donna recounting to us all the history & culture as well as describing with passion the architecture.

Superb!

Matteo T – Toledo. It was a great experience, we did it at sunset and it was simply stunning. The driver David was amazing and kind with us. He was super nice, he replied to all the questions we had and also gave us suggestions about where to go and what to see. He was really available and genuine The experience is worth it, also, when will u have the occasion to do that again? Just go for it.

Brighton. It was an amazing experience, having a view of Brighton from a bus, Brighton is beautiful.

@ContraCancerSEV - Sevilla. Muchas gracias a @ sevillatour @CitySSEspana por vuestro apoyo y solidaridad y a todos los voluntarios que se comprometen con su tiempo. #CitySightseeing @ContraCancerEs @ContraCancerSEV 4.000 recaudados en distintas ciudades en #Cádiz #Málaga #Benalmadena #Córdoba #Sevilla

Jennifer_H - York. Great to experience two different tours of Bath and very helpful staff..... a fantastic way to explore the city!

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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