In an exclusive interview with WTE Daily, Big Bus Tours’ VP of Global Partnerships Shane Mayer discussed new destinations, shared the reasons behind the city bus tour firm’s success, and outlined the importance of local and global partnerships
With three new locations added to its roster this year, Big Bus Tours is expanding its hop-on-hop-off tours to more of the world’s famous cities.
Big Bus Tours has expanded its presence this year to Athens, Prague, and Madrid. What motivated the selection of these cities, and how do they align with Big Bus Tours’ mission to be the top ‘thing to do’ in every world-famous city? We consider many factors when we bring Big Bus Tours to a new city. We’re looking for cities where we know we can enhance travelers’ experience. This means cities that don’t have a comparable service or where we feel we can add value to the market by bringing our service driven expertise. Of course, we’re focused on the most famous cities with incredible sites to see and experiences to offer.
Travelers find the hop-on-hop-off experience to be perfect for getting oriented in a city
What makes Big Bus Tours such a compelling option for travelers compared to other attractions? It can be different for every traveler. We sell millions of tickets each year and there are millions of reasons why travelers love our experiences and Big Bus Tours. I think one of the top reasons is that many travelers find the hop-on-hop-off experience to be perfect for getting oriented in a city. We hit all the main points of interest, so you can be sure you won’t miss them. It’s convenient, fun and exciting, and it’s priced correctly.
How does Big Bus Tours adapt its offerings to fit the unique characteristics of each new city it enters, ensuring both tourists and local partners benefit from the service? Each city where we operate is managed locally with the support of our Global team. We call this our “Glocal” approach. We know we need our local teams to ensure we’re capturing the essence of each location. Those teams know best how to show off their home cities. They ensure we visit the most important sites, work with the best local partners and share the most interesting history and insights about each city.
What role do partnerships, particularly global partnerships, play in your continued expansion, and how do they help you maintain the high quality and consistency of your services? We always focus on our customers, the travelers. Our goal is to be where they are, so they can easily find us and have the best travel experience possible when they visit a new city, so we’re working with partners that reach travelers wherever they are. From online travel agencies to local partners, like local institutions or points of interest, we’re open to working with partners who want to add customer value. We choose partners that hold high standards for customer care and those are the partners that want to work with us, because they know they can trust their customers are in good hands with Big Bus Tours and will have a great experience.
Big Bus Tours at WTE Miami 2024
As Big Bus Tours continues to expand globally, the company is here at WTE showcasing its new destinations with information on these newly added cities and the unique experiences available in each one, from iconic landmarks to hidden gems. Additionally, the city bus tour firm is highlighting its sustainability initiatives with insights into its eco-friendly practices and efforts to promote sustainable tourism. There will also be plenty of surprises in store at the Big Bus Tours booth. “We have an exciting setup to check out. I won’t ruin all our surprises, so please come by our Double Decker Bus to say hello,” said Mr. Mayer.
