You’ve probably seen those big, double-decker red buses cruising through the city. On a sunny day, they’re full of visitors enjoying the view and learning all about New Orleans. But do you know what goes into running a tourism company like Hospitality Enterprises, the company behind those iconic red buses? We spoke with two members of the Hospitality Enterprises team: Edward Johnson III, the director of operations of New Orleans Tours, and Corey Davis, the service manager, to find out plenty of behind-the-scenes details.

(Photo: New Orleans Online)

Most of all, however, we explore how starting off in tourism led to full-blown careers for both Davis and Johnson. They climbed the career ladder and are both high-level members of this large-scale tourism company. How did they do it? Hard work.

“You have to earn your way,” Johnson told us. “But in the long run, it does pay off.”

Even with that hard work in mind, Davis agrees that it definitely pays off. “I recommend this to anybody,” he says. “Give it a shot, because I had no clue I could go up the ladder like that and have a good life doing it.”

See how these two men solidified their careers in New Orleans tourism in the video below.