BEST TOURS & TRAVEL
California ’ s Best Tours & Travel reopens strong after a tireless 2020 keeping customers , lawmakers , and a changing traveling public close to its business
By Patricia Plodzeen
Best Tours & Travel ’ s recent reopening saw sellout tours and a continuing recovery in their private charter operations thanks to nonstop outreach throughout 2020 ’ s shutdown months that continues today .
With COVID-19 , the Fresno , California motorcoach company faced the rockiest road ever in its 43-year history . But a successful community outreach program has rebuilt customer confidence and a brand relaunch featuring safe leisure tour packages is now attracting riders from every demographic . Working throughout the pandemic with staff intact , Best Tours & Travel was prepared to rise quickly when statewide restrictions ended in June . And it has . Jasmine Sayah , director of operations and next-generation leadership of the company founded by her parents , credits constant communication during lockdown . A big social media push during shutdown helped win back existing customers and attract new ones . “ Our private charter business started coming back in the spring of 2021 when California opened up ,” she said . “ Many of the tours sold out within 20 days of opening .” Charter capacity stands at about 50 percent with six out of its 10 motorcoaches on the road in use . Even after 23 years of experience in her family business , Sayah did not anticipate the COVID-19 shutdown ’ s impact on staff , families , and the community . “ Everything came to a standstill ,” she said . “ We refunded everyone and were hit hard with deep revenue loss in 2020 . We filed for SBA ’ s Paycheck Protection Program and sold our oldest equipment which helped keep staff and their benefits in place .” Today , they are ready to hire new team members .
“ We see opportunity and want to hire and train new drivers and technicians ,” she said .
Travel That Puts Health and Safety First During lockdown and even today , Best Tours ’ staff spent many hours on Zoom and telephone calls with buyers at corporations , colleges and national parks offering updates on the care and operations of its coach fleet including the latest sanitizing practices and safety mandates . “ We know that COVID-19 will always be the first thing on passengers ’ and clients ’ minds before making a travel commitment for some time ,” Sayah said . “ But by requiring that all passengers wear masks now , our riders can feel at ease and have confidence in the ability to travel by motorcoach .” The company will continue to provide hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes onboard . On most trips , passengers are allowed to pick their seats , so groups get the kind of travel experience they are comfortable with . “ We are seeing some smaller groups of 30 or less still wanting a 56-passenger coach , and that ’ s fine ,” Sayah said . “ We can accommodate most requests .”
Tours for Every Taste As the economy reopens , domestic leisure travel leads business travel nationwide as families reunite and vacation plans return . That is great news for Best Tours & Travel , which creates one-of-a-kind trips from one-day outings to overnight stays at popular destinations . “ Our tours are guided , and we always have a hostess onboard ,” said Sayah , who often plans the trips herself and polls customers to learn their preferences . “ We take the tour beforehand so we know the exact
26 | BUSRIDE . COM | OCTOBER 2021