Gray Line Worldwide

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Gray Line Worldwide
Founded1910
Headquarters1541 N. Marion St, P.O. Box #18267
Denver, Colorado
Service areaWorldwide
Service typeSightseeing Tours
Operator100+ licensees worldwide
Websitewww.grayline.com

Gray Line Worldwide is an international sightseeing company that consist of local sightseeing operator around the world. The company was founded in 1910 and operates worldwide through independent operators it calls "licensees" with a presence in most of the world's most popular sightseeing destinations. Gray Line does not provide sightseeing services directly, but rather provides its brand, promotional services and booking systems to licensees.[1] Gray Line is also the largest direct supplier of destination services to online travel sellers, wholesalers and travel agents.

History[edit]

A Seattle Gray Line bus at its terminal, circa 1951

In March 1910, a young restaurateur called Louis Bush refurbished an old Mack Truck chassis, painted it blue and gray and began offering sightseeing tours around the city of Washington, D.C.

By 1926, Gray Line had expanded to other booming cities including New York, Chicago, Detroit, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco, as well as internationally to Toronto and Havana. With peacetime following World War II, Harry J. Dooley, a former Gray Line employee, acquired the company and helped re-establish Gray Line Chicago. Dooley soon became president of Gray Line and is today considered the father of the sightseeing industry.

With the advent of jet travel and increased gateways in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Dooley expanded Gray Line's market throughout the United States and established Gray Line companies in Canada, Mexico, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The sudden popularity growth in motorcoach sightseeing helped position Gray Line as a leader in the sightseeing industry.

The brand is currently managed from an office based in Denver, Colorado.

Gray Line has a presence in over 700 locations, spanning six continents, and is the largest sightseeing company in the world. In 2018 its carriers handled over 35 million passengers.

People boarding a Gray Line bus in Nashville, Tennessee, 2018.

Licensees[edit]

Location Operator
Alaska Holland America Group
Amsterdam Blue Boat Company
Argentina AV & MV SRL
Asheville Asheville Trolley Company, LLC
Austria Vienna Sightseeing Tours
Athens Athens Open Tour
Australia Driver Group
Beijing DTI, Ltd.
Berlin Bus Verkehr Berlin[2]
Boston Brush Hill Tours
Branson Thompson Transportation Group, LLC
Brazil Brazil 4 You Operadora Receptiva
British Columbia West Coast Sightseeing
Cancun Mayaland Tours
Charleston M&S Holding Co.
Chicago Aries Charter
Chile Chirak Tour
Colombia Respresentaciones Irigoyen Vega Cia Ltd
Colorado Colorado Tour Line
Costa Rica Fantasy Tours
Croatia Adriatic 4 You
Czech Republic Bohemia Travel
Dominican Republic Transporte Turistico F&S Tours
Ecuador Combratur
Egypt South Sinai Travel
Emirates Kurban Tours
Florence CAF Tours
Geneva Keytours S.A.
Guatemala Reuxtreme-Reustours
Halifax Ambassatours
Hong Kong Gray Line Tours of Hong Kong Limited
Hungary Cityrama
Iceland Gray Line Iceland
Indonesia P.T. Regina Alta Panorama Tours
Ireland The Dualway Group
Israel Consolidated Tour Operators Ltd.
London Golden Tours
Los Angeles Gl Vegas, Inc.
Los Cabos Gray Line Los Cabos SA de CV
Louisiana New Orleans Steamboat Company
Macau Gray Line Tours Hong Kong Limited
Malta Supreme Travel
Melbourne Driver Group Australia
Miami Miami Incoming Services, LLC
Minneapolis Schmitty & Sons Transit, Inc.
Montreal Coach Canada
Morocco Utess Voyages
Munich Autobus Oberbayern
Myrtle Beach Leisure Time Unlimited, Inc.
New Orleans New Orleans Steamboat Company[3]
New York Coach USA
New Zealand InterCity[4]
Niagara, Ontario Miagara Majestic Tours
Northern California Autocares Julia, SL
Oman Kurban Tours
Oregon Road & Rail Travel, LLC
Orlando Gator Tours of Orlando, LLC
Ottawa Gray Line Ottawa
Panama Gray Line Panama
Paris ParisCityVision
Peru Viajes Pacífico[5]
Portugal Cityrama
Prince Edward Island Ambassatours
Puerto Rico Charter Coach Inc.
Puerto Vallarta Gray Line Los Cabos SA de CV
Romania Gray Line Romania[6]
Rome Carrani Tours
San Antonio Star Shuttle & Charter
Savannah Kelly Tours
Scotland Edinburgh Coach Lines[7]
Seattle City Sightseeing Seattle
Shanghai DTI Ltd.
Sorrento Travel Etc.
Spain Autocares Julia, SL
Tennessee Gray Line of Tennessee / RLCL Acquisition, LLC
Tasmania Experience Tasmania Tours
Toronto Gray Line Toronto
Tucson Gray Line Tours
Turkey Plan Tours
Vancouver Westcoast Sightseeing[8]
Venezuela Candes Turismo
Venice Park Viaggi S.R.L.
Victoria, British Columbia Pacific Coast Sightseeing
Vietnam Threeland Travel[9]
Washington, DC Martz Group[10]
York Golden Tours,[11] operated by York Pullman
Zurich Hans Meier Tourist AG

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Terms and Conditions".
  2. ^ "BVB.net - Bus Verkehr Berlin - Bus mieten & mehr". BVB.net (in German). Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  3. ^ "New Orleans' Only Steamboat | Steamboat NATCHEZ". www.steamboatnatchez.com. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  4. ^ "InterCity Group - About Gray Line". InterCity New Zealand. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. ^ Viajes Pacífico
  6. ^ Gray Line Romania. "Gray Line Romania | Sightseeing tours". www.grayline.ro. Retrieved 2017-02-24.
  7. ^ Gray Line Scotland Archived 2014-10-11 at the Wayback Machine Edinburgh Coach Lines
  8. ^ Westcoast Sightseeing
  9. ^ "Best Tours to Vietnam, Indochina | Threeland Travel". Best Tours to Vietnam, Indochina | Threeland Travel. Retrieved 2020-09-02.
  10. ^ Martz Group
  11. ^ "Hop-on Hop-off York". Golden Tours. Retrieved 2020-07-31.

External links[edit]