In anticipation of a boom in visitors to the city, Oxford Bus Company (OBC) and sister operator City Sightseeing have shaken up their tourism management teams with a new, all-female crew.
Head of Tourism Jane Marshall, Retail Manager Clarisse Garcia and former driver Val Tachy make up the new team and will focus on developing partnerships with key attractions while promoting the best the city has to offer.
Jane will focus on forming mutually beneficial partnerships while Val will oversee the management and engagement of drivers for City Sightseeing Oxford. Clarisse will be responsible for the high street visitor information point, Gloucester Green travel offices, and will also oversee colleagues and tour guides working at those locations and on the buses.
“We are pleased to announce this exciting new management team designed to help drive our visitor economy,” says OBC and City Sightseeing Managing Director Phil Southall. “The team is highly talented and we are looking forward to re-building our tourism offerings.
“Oxfordshire is an attractive destination, and we remain committed to ensuring we deliver a world-class welcome to visitors. Our visitor information point is a vital service to help visitors get the most out of their trip to the county, while our open-top bus tours remain a fantastic way to explore the city.
“Key to reigniting the visitor economy will be partnerships and all key stakeholders working together to develop packages and compelling initiatives.”
The new hires are a boost to OBC parent Go-Ahead, which is forging ahead with its Women in Bus initiative. “Go-Ahead Group’s female colleague-led networking is the first of its kind in the bus industry and we’re proud to be making a positive contribution to its success,” adds Phil. “One of our core values is embracing diversity and we want our workforce to fully reflect the great diversity of our passengers and the communities that we serve.
“There are great opportunities for people to work in our industry and we are committed to working to attract more females into the bus business.”
