In the swiftly evolving digital marketplace, tour and activity providers face the challenge of expanding their visibility and sales. In this scenario, Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have emerged as indispensable partners in this journey, offering unparalleled growth opportunities.
This guide serves as a roadmap for navigating the dynamic terrain of OTAs, highlighting practical strategies for fruitful partnerships.
Our focus is on equipping you with the knowledge to leverage these digital platforms for enhanced reach and operational efficiency.
Why should tour operators consider OTAs? In an era where digital presence dictates market reach, OTAs offer a golden ticket to widespread visibility and customer engagement.
Here are compelling reasons to integrate OTAs into your marketing strategy:
Major OTAs such as GetYourGuide, Viator, Klook, and TripAdvisor specialize in various market segments, providing tailored exposure to diverse customer bases.
Musement stands out as an OTA with over 88,000 offerings in more than 100 countries. It’s a robust B2B platform that supports tour operators through digitalization, ensuring a seamless service for guests.
Key to partnership: To become a partner of this OTA, tour operators need to contact Musement directly through their website, often via a dedicated partnership or contact us page. The platform offers collaboration opportunities for activity providers to list their tours and activities, enabling them to reach a wider audience. Once contact is made, Musement likely discusses the specifics, such as commission rates and the integration process for listing the activities on their platform. They emphasize personalized branded or co-branded experiences for their key partners.
Founded in 2014, Klook has made its mark by offering nearly half a million activity options. It excels in providing convenient, mobile-first booking experiences.
How to join: Klook invites suppliers to join their platform through a sign-up process available on their website, specifically targeting activity, attraction, and tour operators. The process involves filling out an application form where providers can detail their offerings. After submission, Klook’s team reviews the application, and upon approval, operators can list their products. Klook emphasizes a seamless integration of experiences, leveraging technology for efficient bookings and customer engagement.
Viator, a Tripadvisor company, offers access to a vast audience with over 395,000 listed experiences. Their partnership significantly boosts visibility on one of the most trafficked travel review sites. Viator’s commission rates typically range around 20%, but specific terms can vary depending on numerous factors including the nature of the experience offered.
Listing process: To list tours or activities on Viator, suppliers must first apply through the Viator Management Center, which requires creating an account. The application process involves detailing the experiences offered and complying with Viator’s quality standards. Once approved, operators can manage their listings, prices, and availability through the platform. Viator provides tools and insights to help optimize listings and sales. The platform has a standard commission rate but also offers promotional opportunities for increased visibility.
Headout prioritizes mobile user experience, offering more than 10,000 activities. They focus on last-minute bookings, catering to spontaneous travelers.
Partnering up: The platform allows tour operators to partner with them by signing up through their partner portal. The process starts with filling out an application on Headout’s website, where operators can describe their tours and experiences. Upon acceptance, Headout works with operators to list their offerings, focusing on last-minute availability and mobile-first experiences. They offer competitive commission rates and dedicated support to help partners grow their sales and reach a global audience.
GetYourGuide is a leading platform in the OTA landscape, offering over 50,000 activities worldwide. It’s the go-to for operators aiming to enhance visibility and reach a vast audience.
Initiating partnership: For tour operators looking to feature their tours or activities on GetYourGuide, the process initiates with an application through the GetYourGuide provider portal. This step involves a detailed submission of the experiences offered, adherence to GetYourGuide’s quality expectations, and agreement to the platform’s terms. Once accepted, providers gain the ability to manage their listings directly, setting prices and adjusting availability to optimize their presence on the platform. GetYourGuide also extends various tools and insights to assist in enhancing listing performance and overall sales, coupled with promotional opportunities to boost visibility further.
Civitatis specializes in tours and activities for Spanish-speaking travelers, with over 80,000 activities in its catalog. They seek exclusivity in their offerings to stand out.
Becoming a supplier: Becoming a supplier for Civitatis involves a direct application through their website. Operators interested in listing their tours and activities need to provide details about their services for evaluation. Civitatis is particularly keen on exclusive and unique offerings, appealing to the Spanish-speaking market as their primary audience. Once approved, suppliers gain access to Civitatis’ vast network of travelers, benefiting from their extensive marketing and customer support. The platform offers a clear pathway for suppliers to manage their listings and bookings effectively.
Tiqets offers instant, last-minute mobile tickets to a wide array of cultural and entertainment venues. They stand out for their user-friendly platform focused on technology and convenience.
Joining Tiqets: Tiqets welcomes suppliers to join their platform via a partnership request through their website. This process likely involves providing information about the attractions or experiences the operator offers, followed by an assessment from Tiqets’ team. Once approved, operators can list their tickets, managing availability and prices through Tiqets’ interface. The platform focuses on providing instant, mobile tickets to users, emphasizing the importance of a seamless digital experience for both operators and customers. Tiqets’ approach is centered around technology-driven solutions to maximize exposure and sales for its partners.
OTAs not only simplify the booking process for travelers but also offer robust tools for business analytics, customer insights, and marketing strategies. Here’s how you can leverage these benefits:
While OTAs offer numerous advantages, challenges such as dependency and competition can arise. Here’s how to address them:
Maximize your OTA partnerships with these strategies:
Adopting technology in your operations can enhance your partnership with OTAs. Consider investing in reservation software that integrates seamlessly with OTA platforms, ensuring real-time availability updates and reducing overbookings.
This is a feature Orioly offers to its clients. With our channel manager, you can connect and sell your tours among 45 OTAs, including the lead OTAs listed in this article.
Customer reviews are a powerful tool in influencing booking decisions. Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on OTA platforms, directly impacting your visibility and attractiveness to potential customers.
Consider specializing in niche markets or unique experiences that cater to specific interests, such as eco-tourism or culinary tours. This differentiation can make your offerings more appealing on OTA platforms, attracting a dedicated customer base.
The partnership with OTAs is not merely a listing of your services; it’s an active engagement in a digital ecosystem that offers exponential growth opportunities.
By understanding and leveraging the unique advantages of platforms like Musement, Klook, Viator, Headout, Civitatis, and Tiqets, you position your business for success in the global marketplace.
Embrace the digital evolution and harness the power of OTAs to elevate your tour and activity offerings, ensuring a prominent place in the competitive landscape of travel and tourism.
Check Orioly pricing and start selling today through the most relevant OTAs for tours and activities.
ORIOLY
on April 4, 2024
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