Peak season is here. And the way travellers find and book your experiences has changed.

We recently ran a webinar with our friends at Viator on traveller behaviour heading into the busy months. The big takeaway? Peak season rewards operators who are easy to discover, easy to compare and easy to book. Everything below ladders up to one of those three ideas.

Here’s what we learned, and what you can do about it before the rush.

Who’s booking experiences right now

The experience traveller is a valuable audience. The average age is 43, the split between men and women is even, and average household income sits around $125k. They travel one to six times a year, they enjoy the planning process, and they want to pack their schedule and experience everything a destination has to offer.

They’re not looking to do just one thing. They’re trying to make the most of a trip and fit in multiple experiences. That’s good news for you – but only if you show up when they’re looking.

Discovery is everywhere. Booking happens on OTAs.

Travellers discover experiences in more places than ever. Social media drives around 80% of discovery and Google around 40%. But when it’s time to decide, OTAs dominate: 80% of travellers use them in the 45 days before booking, and OTAs make up roughly half of the 277 pages a traveller visits while researching.

A few more shifts worth knowing:

  • Nearly 3 in 5 travellers start planning without a fixed destination, or weigh up several options.
  • 61% research tours within a week of taking them. 1 in 3 book once they’re already in the destination.
  • Reviews, photos, prices and policies are all a click away, so travellers compare more options than ever.

The lesson is simple. Visibility and distribution matter more during peak season, not less. The more channels you’re on, and the easier you are to find, the more of that demand you capture.

The four signals that drive a booking

If you remember one thing, remember this: most travellers aren’t starting with a deep understanding of your business. They’re scanning for signals that help them decide fast.

Four signals do the heavy lifting: reviews, photos, descriptions and price. On a product page, the eye tends to move photo → title → price → rating. Operators who communicate those signals clearly and consistently are the ones who win the click.

So here’s how to sharpen each one before peak season.

Spark excitement

Photos. These are some of the most important elements of your listing, and they’re consistently named as a key factor in how travellers decide. Use at least six. Highlight your main attractions and points of interest. Show real travellers enjoying the experience so bookers can picture themselves there. Keep it authentic, and make sure the photos honestly reflect what people will get. Got video footage? Submit it – more and more product pages now feature video.

Titles. Your title is one of the first things a traveller sees, and it pulls more weight than you’d think. Keep it clear and concise, but don’t strip it bare. Lead with the attraction or destination keyword, then the tour type: “Paris small-group walking tour” beats “Small group walking tour of Paris” because it ranks better and reads faster. Work in standout features like meals, transport or entry passes. Worth knowing: when titles were shortened in testing, booking conversion dropped. Travellers use that detail to decide.

Descriptions. This is where you tell your story, so keep it short and punchy. Fewer paragraphs, easy-to-digest content, most important information first. A clear, structured description helps travellers understand your experience quickly, and quick understanding leads to bookings.

Provide reassurance

Travellers have plenty of options, so clarity wins. List exactly what’s included and what’s not – no surprises, and flag any extra in-destination costs. Simplify the logistics: timing, transport, what to expect. Make the meeting point crystal clear so nobody’s guessing where to go.

Pricing builds trust too. Keep it accurate and up to date, assign a price for every age group, and price your tour options logically and consistently. Clear pricing means confident travellers who are ready to book.

Offer flexibility

Flexibility is where you turn last-minute browsers into bookings.

Open up your availability well in advance. Aim for open-ended availability with no end date, or at least 365 days out. Advance bookings improve your search ranking, which compounds throughout the season. Use tour options to offer different times and versions of the same experience.

With more travellers booking close to departure, keep bookings open until at least four hours before you go. And offer cancellations up to 24 hours before — peace of mind is a powerful trust-builder. The easier you make it to say yes, the more spontaneous bookings you’ll capture.

The recipe, in one line

Spark excitement with strong content. Provide reassurance with clear information. Offer flexibility with smart availability and booking policies. These are the traits we see again and again among the listings that perform.

Let’s get you ready

Bókun keeps your availability synced in real time across every channel, so the flexibility above is hands-off, not hard work. As a Tripadvisor company, we’re connected directly to Viator – import your products in a click and pay 0% fees on Viator bookings.

If you’d like a hand getting peak-season ready, our team can run a product optimisation review or a connectivity check-in. Get in touch and let’s make this your best season yet.

You bring the wow. We bring the how.