Rethinking Hop-On Hop-Off

Last month HOHO operator Open Tour Paris and the Original Tour Company announced a rebrand to TootBus — but there’s a lot more to the change than just a name. Here are five things the newly branded HOHO company is doing as travel comes back

Reading Time: 3 minutes 42 seconds

Mention the term “bus tour” to any traveler, and the first image to pop into their mind is likely to be that of the open-top, hop-on hop-off tour bus. These classic icons of mainstream tourism, referred to widely in the industry as HOHO, snake their way through the world’s busiest cities, shuttling tourists from one iconic attraction to another. 

The largest HOHO brand, City Sightseeing, is present in more than 100 cities around the world through its franchise network. Big Bus operates in 22 cities, and other leading brands include City Bus, part of Grupo Julia, Yellow Bus of Portugal, Old Town Trolley Tours, part of Historic Tours of America, as well as a number of local operations, such as Golden Tours in London.

One HOHO brand has taken time during the pandemic to rethink its business from the bottom up. The sightseeing division of French transportation company RATP, formerly known as Open Tour Paris and The Original Tour in London, announced a rebrand in May this year to the relatively catchy Tootbus.

But there’s a lot more to the relaunch than just a name change. The team behind the RATP’s sightseeing division is retooling the product and guest experience, from booking to getting off the bus, with ideas for all tour operators.  

1 — Tech Reset (with Add-ons)

Rethinking Hop-On Hop-Off tootbus Arival Douglas Quinby
Tootbus will now sell attraction tickets and ancillary products — Tootbus / LinkedIn

The company adopted a new ticketing system, Ventrata, and also redid its website and travel trade portal. The new website features the ability to add attraction tickets and other ancillary products through a shopping basket. This approach allows the traveler to customize the experience with add-ons of their choice. 

HOHO tours often serve as an introduction to a city for the traveler, and can be a natural channel for tour and attraction operators to sell tickets. Although at launch the options are still limited, Tootbus plans to do a lot of testing of different ancillary products to see what works. We think more operators should be looking at cross-selling non-competitive tour and attraction tickets. 

2 — From Transportation to Entertainment

Rethinking Hop-On Hop-Off tootbus Arival Douglas Quinby
“We really need to think more about being in the entertainment industry,” said Sophie Ak Gazeau— Tootbus / LinkedIn

The company has added some non-stop tours to its traditional hop-on hop-off lineup, including tours for children and experiences with live guides, with an eye toward catering to more domestic and local market visitors, as international travel is still some ways from recovery.  

“We really need to think more about being in the entertainment industry than in the tour industry,” said Sophie Ak Gazeau, director of digital and marketing for city sightseeing at RATP. “Rather than taking the kids to the movies, let’s take the kids on a family-friendly tour of Paris.”

This concept is not new. London-based Golden Tours has offered several entertainment-led experiences on its open-top bus tours, including comedy tours, and a tour based on London musical theater. 

3 — Stepping Out with Self-Guided Tours

Rethinking Hop-On Hop-Off tootbus Arival Douglas Quinby
Audio guides are narrated by a child to build better connections — Tootbus / LinkedIn

Tootbus has overhauled all of its audio guide content, which is now standard inclusion with most HOHO tours. But Tootbus has gone a step further by adding free self-guided tours into its app. 

“We understand that HOHO can be an entry point to a city,” said Gazeau. “We want the app to help guide the traveler. We know all of the city cannot be visited with a bus, so we are providing walking tours dedicated to a particular area.”

One interesting addition to the audio content for the kids tours: they are narrated by a child, so the children can better connect with the audio content. 

4 — Getting a Grip on Distribution

Rethinking Hop-On Hop-Off tootbus Arival Douglas Quinby
Tootbus will focus on their largest partners and building new connections — Florian Wehde / Unsplash

Like many tour and attraction operators, Tootbus faced a common distribution challenge: hundreds of partners, too many products and different selling conditions for OTAs and their direct channels. This had to change. 

“It’s not a good experience when it’s different when you buy and then go into the attraction. It wasn’t that great for the OTA, and it’s not great for our customers,” said Gazeau.

The company is focused on streamlining its approach to distribution. It is focusing on its biggest partners, and it is seeking to connect to as many partners as possible via APIs (direct connections to their reservation system, the OTA or channel manager). 

5 — Getting Serious about Sustainability

Soon all Tootbuses will run on electricity or biogas — Nathan Riley / Unsplash

Tootbus is migrating its fleet over to electric power and biogas. The company’s buses in France and Belgium now run either on electricity or biogas, and they are currently migrating the fleet in the U.K. 

“If you love your city, you need to protect your city,” said Arnaud Masson, senior vice president for sightseeing at RATP. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Arival spotlight winners announcement.

Trending

Check Out Our New Report
X
Global Operator Landscape: The State of Experiences (3rd Ed.)
More than 7,000 operators worldwide contributed to this exclusive new research from Arival which reveals key insights into the tours, activities, and attractions industry in 2024 & beyond, covering trends in sales, tech, and market growth. Authors: Anne Failing and Douglas Quinby Edited by: Janelle Visser
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARIVAL | ACTIVATE EDINBURGH AND ARIVAL 360 | VALENCIA AND WHICH SHOULD I ATTEND?

Since 2019, Arival has hosted one major event in Europe each year. For 2024-2025, we’re thrilled to offer two exciting events: Arival 360 | Valencia and Arival | Activate Edinburgh. Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide which event to attend—or why you might want to come to both:

Arival 360 | Valencia (28-30 April 2025)
  • Scope: Flagship European Event with a global reach; up to 30% of attendees from outside Europe, including the U.S., Middle East, LATAM, and APAC.
  • Audience: Experience creators, tech and distribution companies, and industry professionals from around the world.
  • Arival Theater Content: Global topics including: over-tourism and sustainability, technology, distribution, European consumer and operator trends.
  • Breakout Sessions: In-depth workshops on operational best practices, product expansion, AI, channel management, marketing tech, a Spain-specific track and an Innovation Showcase highlighting the most tech-savvy companies in our industry.
  • Networking: Connect with leading OTAs and distribution companies, and build valuable partnerships.
  • Location: Valencia, a stunning coastal city offering rich cultural experiences.
  • Attendees: Approximately 800, providing extensive networking opportunities.
Arival | Activate Edinburgh (23-25 November 2024)
  • Scope: Regional focus on the UK, Ireland, and the Nordic regions.
  • Audience: Operators and industry professionals from the region.
  • Content: Gain insights on regional topics like technology, distribution strategies, and hear from top regional tourism leaders.
  • Breakout Sessions: Experience hands-on learning at Edinburgh’s top attractions and tours, with sessions on visitor experience, digital journeys and innovative tour development. In-depth sessions for companies at the beginning of their digital journey and more advanced sessions for people and companies looking to elevate their experience.
  • Networking: With a more intimate setting. you’ll have more time to build deeper connections and create more meaningful interactions with your current and future partners including distributors, tech companies, DMOs and more.
  • Location: Edinburgh, known for its stunning architecture and historic charm
  • Attendees: Approximately 400, fostering an intimate peer-to-peer learning and networking environment.
Key Differences:
  • Global vs. Regional Focus: Valencia is a global event with an international audience, while Edinburgh is a regional event focused on the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions.
  • Event Size: Valencia hosts about 800 attendees, providing broad networking opportunities, whereas Edinburgh’s 400 attendees create a more intimate, focused environment.
  • Content and Sessions: Valencia features global themes and advanced topics, whereas Edinburgh provides region-specific insights and hands-on experiential learning.
  • Location Experience: Valencia providing a coastal escape and Edinburgh offering historic and iconic attractions.
  • Who Will Be There: The most valuable part of Arival Events is the connections you make and the partnerships you build to grow your business. At Arival | Activate Edinburgh, you’ll engage with key industry players in the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions. If your business focus is on these areas, Edinburgh is where you need to be. For those targeting broader European or global markets, Arival 360 | Valencia offers the ideal platform to network with international leaders and innovators. 
Why attend both?

With limited opportunities for business development, learning, and networking in our industry, attending both events is a strategic move. By participating in both Edinburgh and Valencia, you maximize your exposure to diverse markets and influential contacts. 

However, if budget constraints or a specific regional focus dictate your decisions, choose the event that best aligns with your primary business goals. Join us in Edinburgh for regional insights or Valencia for global perspectives—or better yet, attend both to fully leverage the potential of Arival’s expansive network.

For service providers such as a restech or ticketing platform, distribution company, or other services including marketing, AI tools, etc., attending both gives you access to attendees from both markets to connect with your current customers and to meet new ones!

already a member?

Lost your password?

NEED TO REGISTER?

Become an Arival Insider
X
THE ARIVAL INSIDER PRO ACCESS MEMBERSHIP; YOU GET ALL THIS TO HELP YOU ADVANCE YOUR BUSINESS.

Included in Free Membership

Included in Arival Pro Membership

The Arival on-demand video library archive
Access to the entire library of over 150 video sessions and webinars

Arival.guides
Short, digestible research & trends reports delivering insights into our industry, such as The Tour Operator Outlook for 2021.

Arival.travel articles
Topical articles about marketing, tech, operator business and operator stories in all areas of tours, activities & attractions & experiences

Job board access
Find a job from our regular listings, post a resume to the talent network and learn strategies from the job resources articles

New webinars
Helpful, instructional sessions covering subjects such as Mastering Facebook Ads, Grow Your Business and How To Work With OTAs — topics to help advance your business.

Discounts on all Arival in-person events
20% Discount on all Arival in-person events (save up to $300)* based on business type

Arival ProShield – Insurance program
Access to tailored insurance solutions by Granite Insurance is available exclusively for Arival Insider Pro Access Members. Insider Pro Access Members also have access to a suite of resources from Granite Insurance including templates, forms and other informative documents.

Insiders Pro Access member exclusive webinars
Paid membership-only webinars to deepen your understanding of important industry topics.

Job postings & talent directory
Post jobs & connect with candidates most applicable to your business.

Private roundtables to connect, learn and engage
Small, focused and intimate discussions exclusive to Arival Insider Pro Access members.

Full access to Arival’s library of in-depth reports
Up to date, deep analysis of tourism topics ranging from Self-guided Tours to Sales & Distribution Trends and Outlooks, based on the data that defines the industry.

The latest on-demand videos
Over 350+ on-demand videos featuring hot topics in tours, activities & attractions

Insider discounts in digital marketing, tech, e-learning, and more
Save money on additional tools, services and learnings you need to run your business. Exclusive to paid members.

Membership Overview
X

Get on the List
Sign up to receive insights tailored for the in-destination industry as well as updates on Arival.
  *
 *
 *
 *
 
 
You can sign up to receive email updates from topics that may interest you.
*Required fields
Note: It is our responsibility to protect your privacy and we guarantee that your data will be completely confidential.
ARIVAL CODE OF CONDUCT​
CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY SPACES​

At Arival, we believe travel can make the world a better place. Our mission is to establish and inspire a diverse community of individuals and companies in the In-destination Industry by providing opportunities to gain insight, share knowledge and build connections. To make it possible for true collaboration, creativity, innovation, and idea exchange to thrive, we are committed to facilitating a welcoming and respectful community for all. This Conference Code of Conduct shares our community expectations and applies to all attendees, employees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and other participants at Arival- produced and sponsored events. We empower all participants in our community to actively engage in creating a friendly, inclusive and safe environment for all.

Arival’s core values include the following, and create an expectation for conduct at our events and in online community spaces:

We demonstrate a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live.
We value integrity and strive to consistently interact with others in ways that are authentic, ethical, and fair.
We are dedicated to transparency, committing to clear, open and honest communication.
We actively pursue and advocate for inclusion, diversity and representation of varying cultural backgrounds, perspectives and ideas

Arival welcomes people from all cultural backgrounds, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, religion (including religious dress and grooming), marital status, domestic partner status, genetic information, age, national origin or ancestry, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Accordingly, participants must refrain from displaying any demeaning, harassing, aggressive, or intimidating behavior or materials that would interfere with others’ experience and participation in our community.

If you witness or are subjected to inappropriate or disruptive behavior or have any other concerns, notify an Arival staff member as soon as possible.

Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Arival reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any party from any event or community space at any time when participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the event or enjoyment of the event by other participants. All determinations are at the sole discretion of Arival, and the decision of the Arival team will be final. Severe breaches of this Conference Code of Conduct may result in disqualification from participating in future events. Individuals expelled due to violating this Conference Code of Conduct will not be eligible for a refund or other consolation.

If you have questions regarding this Conference Code of Conduct or its implementation, please contact us at [email protected].

X