Helsinki has become the 15th city to introduce the Leisure Pass Operating System (LPOS) as the management platform for its city sightseeing card.
Effective immediately, the Helsinki Card – which combines public transport, a choice of sightseeing tours and free entry into more than 25 attractions in the Finnish capital – is being fully operated by LPOS Live Platform, a purpose-built management system developed by the world’s biggest city sightseeing pass specialist the Leisure Pass Group.
LPOS Live Platform is already used to administer the Vienna PASS, Stockholm Card, Copenhagen Card, Prague Card, Lyon City Card, Gothenburg City Card, Antwerp City Card, Singapore Tourist Pass Plus, New York Pass and Philadelphia Pass, as well as the Leisure Pass Group’s own London Pass, Paris Pass, Berlin Pass and Dublin Pass.
The introduction of the fully-automated LPOS Live Platform represents an upgrade in the operation and management of the Helsinki Card for its owner Stromma Finland, reducing admissions paperwork for featured attractions and providing valuable tracking information on customer choices.
LPOS Live Platform provides a number of benefits, managing the entire life-cycle of each pass sold, from purchase to usage to invoicing. This gives Stromma best-in-class stock control and the ability to instantly ‘hotlist’ cards reported lost or stolen, as well as accurate tracking of how each card is utilised. From here Stromma can chart patterns in customer behaviour and compare profitability by product type and even by nationality.
Easy to use, the system provides quick, cashless transactions at each featured attraction via card-readers which dial-in automatically to LPOS Live Platform. Real-time visibility of customer card use will give Stromma the capacity for in-city marketing direct to the consumer.
Currently, LPOS Live Platform processes more than 6 million visits to attractions every year across the 15 city sightseeing cards it manages.
The Helsinki Card is available as a one-, two- or three-day product, with prices starting at €44 per adult and €22 per child for a one-day card. Also available, priced from €47 per adult for a one-day card, is the Helsinki Card Region, which adds free public transport in the whole metropolitan area and not just the city itself. For many tourists, the chief benefit of this will be the inclusion of transport to and from Helsinki Airport in Vantaa; the city centre is set to become much more accessible from 1 July 2015 with the opening of the Ring Rail Line, which provides a direct rail connection from the airport.
Attractions offered on the card include the Finnair SkyWheel, providing 360-degree views of the city, a choice of Helsinki sightseeing tour by bus or boat, and many of the city’s best museums. The card also entitles holders to a wide range of discounts at restaurants, shops, tours and concerts across the city.
“We are delighted that our featured attractions on the Helsinki Card will all have card readers in time for the start of the peak tourism season in May,” commented Stromma Finland’s Director of Sales Alexia Herberts.
“The technology will make it easier for our attractions to process Helsinki Card visitors, while the ability to track how our customers use the card will ensure we can continue to refine and develop the product offering in line with their needs.
Leisure Pass Group Product Marketing Director Amanda Truman said: “Our years of experience in owning and managing city sightseeing passes have been critical in developing a product other pass operators really want to use. Growing the LPOS Live Platform portfolio to 15 cities is a big achievement for us and we are delighted to work closely with Stromma to offer a fully-automated Helsinki Card.”