� IN FOCUS l WTM LONDON WTM IN BRIEF


MBNA Thames Clippers invests £3.8m in 18th vessel MBNA Thames Clippers will add


its 18th and largest catamaran to its fleet at the beginning of 2019 – representing a £3.8 million investment. It began operations in 1999 with


w Bateaux launches refurbished vessels


Thames dining cruise specialist Bateaux London will be at WTM London to promote two


newly refurbished boats: Glass Room will launch in November 2018 and River Room will begin sailing in Easter 2019. The fleet also offers Bateaux Windsor which features British dining with sights of the royal


town of Windsor. bateauxlondon.com Stand UKI200


one vessel and now has an annual turnover of £24 million and a staff of nearly 400. The river bus operator has


now carried more than 40 million passengers, and is looking to a year of 20th


birthday celebrations in 2019. MBNA Thames Clippers increased


its capacity by 10% last year with the introduction of two new high-speed catamarans – Mercury Clipper and Jupiter Clipper – and is on course to carry 4.2 million commuters and tourists in 2018. The new 222-capacity boat will be


the largest in the fleet and will enable the river bus service to carry up to a further 300,000 passengers a year, further increasing capacity by 8%.


Orion Clipper


Sean Collins, chief executive and co-founder, said: “What an incredible ride this has been; it is amazing to think that the small operation we started 19 years ago would grow so quickly into


Original Tour launches ‘landmark’ electric open-top bus


The Original Tour started services last month with London’s first 100% electric hop-on hop-off open-top bus.


It is running on The Original


Tour’s Yellow route, passing sights such as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Shard, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Gherkin. Shirley Rodrigues, London’s deputy mayor for environment and energy, said: “To help tackle the air pollution health crisis in London, we have taken bold action to ‘green’ the bus fleet and cut toxic vehicle emissions, and it is fantastic that we now have the UK’s first fully electric sightseeing bus on the capital’s streets. “With six months to go until


the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in central London, electric vehicles are growing in popularity, and people are more aware than ever of the harmful pollution older buses and vehicles can emit. “I want to congratulate The Original Tour on the first of many brilliant green sightseeing buses.”


38 TravelGBI | November 2018


Summer heatwave puts City Cruises on a high


This summer’s heatwave has buoyed river cruise specialist City Cruises, which saw passenger numbers rise by 24% year-on-year between May and September 2018. The operator, which provides


The new silent-running vehicle,


wrapped in a green edition of the brand’s Union Jack livery, has a range of 150 kilometres – the equivalent of six loops of The Original Tour’s Yellow route. It will carry up to 75 passengers, seven days a week, and on average will make 125 stops on a single charge. Jane Lewis, managing director of The Original Tour, added: “The Original Tour has been bringing the capital’s iconic sights to life for longer than anyone else but today


we can point to a landmark of our own. This new 100% electric hop- on hop-off open-top sightseeing bus represents the future not only for our brand but for sightseeing here in London.” As part of its fleet renewal


programme, The Original Tour will be gradually converting its buses to zero-emissions vehicles, with three more electric buses planned in 2019. theoriginaltour.com Stand UKI200


leisure cruises along the River Thames, River Ouse and around Poole Harbour, saw its biggest growth in Poole with a 120% increase in sailings in July. Throughout the month, the


operator also sold 66% more ice- creams and 32% more beers on its River Thames sightseeing sailings. Looking ahead to 2019, City Cruises London will be reintroducing the new-look Gamma in March after a 10-month renovation. The boat will have capacity for 399 passengers with large panoramic windows and a new upper deck. citycruises.com


Stand UKI400 travelgbi.com


a multimillion-pound company, employing hundreds of Londoners and becoming an established and integral part of London’s transport mix.


“It’s a matter of great pride that


we have served our 40 millionth passenger and that we are on course to carry more than four million passengers this year alone.” The business operates four major commuter services and two associated tourist routes, with services from Putney in the west to Woolwich in the east. It is also planning for the


festive season, and can work with companies to tailor-make a Christmas party event. Vessels of all sizes are available


for charter – from a private trip on the 12-seater Orion Clipper to a bigger event for up to 220 people. mbnathamesclippers.com Stand UKI400


©Matt Alexander/PA Wire


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