KEY POINTSVeltra signs MOU with Big Bus Tours to explore hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus services in JapanJoint review covers market potential in major Japanese cities and selection of local bus operating partnersBig Bus Tours operates in more than 25 cities and serves over 6 million tourists annually
The partnership will assess major Japanese cities for hop-on hop-off services and identify local bus operators as Veltra targets inbound travel demand. Photo by Anastasiia Tarasova on Unsplash
Anastasiia Tarasova
Veltra Corp has signed a memorandum of understanding with London-based Big Bus Tours Limited to explore a business partnership in Japan, the Tokyo-listed travel activity booking company said on August 10.
The agreement centers on studying the rollout of hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus services in major Japanese cities as Veltra moves to strengthen its inbound tourism business. Under the MOU, the companies have started evaluating market potential and identifying candidate cities based on foreign visitor travel needs, local transport conditions and tourism resources.
The two companies also plan to select regional bus operators that could handle local operations in each city. Veltra said potential partners would be assessed on criteria including safety, operating quality and coordination with local communities.
Veltra aims to combine Big Bus Tours’ operating expertise and brand recognition with its own domestic network and digital travel and mobility platform. The companies will continue discussions on target cities and the business structure with the aim of reaching a formal agreement and commercializing the service.
Big Bus Tours, founded in 1991 and headquartered in London, operates hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus services in more than 25 cities across four continents, including London, New York, Paris, Dubai, Rome and Singapore. It serves more than 6 million tourists annually.
Veltra operates an online platform for local experience-based travel bookings. It offers about 25,000 tours through roughly 9,000 tour operators in 150 countries, with about 2.85 million members and around 610,000 user reviews.
Japan has seen inbound tourism recover strongly in recent years, and transport access within major cities remains a practical issue for some overseas visitors unfamiliar with local rail and bus networks. Hop-on hop-off bus services are a common format in major global tourism hubs, but their presence in Japan has been limited compared with cities such as London and Singapore.