The acquisition adds to City Experiences’ growing portfolio of land-based travel experiences in top tourism destinations worldwide
New York, NY (April 8, 2021) – City Experiences announced today it has closed on the acquisition of leading global tours and experiences provider, Walks. Walks joins City Experiences’ growing portfolio of land-based experience companies and supports the company’s overall business strategy towards growing its product offerings for its guests.
Walks began as Walks of Italy in 2010, guiding over a million travelers to attractions like the Vatican, Colosseum and St. Mark’s in Venice. With 100+ unique tours available across 14 cities, including Rome, Venice, Paris and NYC, Walks creates the opportunity for travelers to explore cities at street-level, hear stories from local experts, and uncover a place’s unique history. Walks also began offering virtual tours last year known as “Tours from Home,” receiving widespread recognition.
City Experiences represents a diverse portfolio of experiences in major travel destinations worldwide and includes more than 25 brands, offering locals and tourists alike a broad range of global experiences.
“We’ve long admired the City Experiences industry leadership and commitment to quality, so we couldn’t be prouder to join the crew. I’m particularly excited about the opportunity this presents for Walks to reach more U.S. domestic travelers, even locals”, says Stephen Oddo, CEO and Co-Founder of Walks. “The U.S. tours and activities market represents so much untapped potential. We don’t see nearly as many large, multi-destination operators here as we do in Europe. This acquisition aligns with our strategy to reach the elusive domestic market on a scale equivalent to what we do across the pond.”
“On the heels of the company’s rebrand announcement to City Experiences we’re excited to announce the acquisition of Walks to our expanding portfolio. As a Global Leader in Experiences and Transportation, this partnership will allow us to further expand our land-based offerings across the globe and continue delivering amazing experiences for our guests,” said Kevin Rabbitt, chief executive officer, Hornblower Group, parent company to City Experiences.
City Experiences represents a diverse portfolio of experiences in major travel destinations worldwide and aligns more than 25 existing brands into a single brand identity, offering locals and tourists alike a broad range of global experiences.
With the completion of this acquisition, Walks joins City Experiences’ growing portfolio of land-based experience companies—which includes Cruising Excursions and ShoreTrips, leading global shore excursions providers in the UK and U.S. respectively—and supports the company’s overall business strategy towards growing its product offerings for its guests.
About City Experiences
City Experiences represents Hornblower Group’s expansive portfolio of water- and land-based experiences and includes two sub-brands: City Cruises and City Ferry. City Cruises operates dining, sightseeing and private events across 22 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. City Cruises also operates cruises on behalf of the National Park Service and the Niagara Parks Commission and currently holds service contracts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Alcatraz Island and Niagara Falls. City Ferry offers specialized knowledge and expertise required to transport passengers, vehicles and other cargo safely across inland and coastal waterways with operations including NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico ferry system, among others. City Experiences’ portfolio also offers a range of land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, and Cruising Excursions, ShoreTrips and Walks products. For more information visit cityexperiences.com.
About Walks
Walks is a global leader in tours & activities, operating sightseeing tours, food tours, and day trips in 14 cities around the world; including Rome, Paris, Barcelona, London, NYC & San Francisco. Specializing in small group, special access tours, they work closely with many of Europe’s top attractions and, more recently, with major US attractions like the Statue of Liberty & Alcatraz. Led by only the best local guides, Walks’ tours are thoughtfully designed to offer a deeper insight into the culture, food, and history of their destinations. In 2020, Walks began offering virtual tours known as Tours from Home, receiving widespread recognition.
Press Contact:
Michael DeiCas / City Experiences / [email protected]
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