Earning tour bookings directly from your website lets you:
- Keep more profits per booking & increase average booking value (ABV), as you don’t have to pay OTA commission fees or share a cut with partners, affiliates, or other intermediaries when travellers book directly.
- Operate independently from OTAs and partners. You’re not stuck relying on third-party sites that can suddenly change fees, policies, or how they rank your tours — so you don’t lose visibility and bookings when OTAs change things up.
- Create the deals and policies that actually work for your business, like flexible cancellations, late check-outs, custom packages, special accommodations, and exclusive deals. When customers book direct, you can offer exactly what works for your business without OTA restrictions getting in the way.
- Control the entire customer journey & booking experience. You’re in charge of your website design, booking widgets, and payment options, so you can control what tours to promote and how customers browse tours, check availability, reserve slots, and complete checkout.
- Communicate directly with travellers without OTA interference. When customers book on your site, they get clear, direct emails from you and your teams — you don’t have OTAs sending extra emails that could be confusing (or just annoying). This makes the process smoother for travellers and helps you provide better, more personal service.
Booking directly on a brand’s website often gives customers greater peace of mind as well. They know they’re dealing with you directly — bookings are secure and they can ask questions or have conversations about special requests with the right people, without a third-party site getting in the way or complicating things.
Our guide covers eight ways to set yourself up for success so you can start directing more travellers to your site and boost direct bookings.
Bókun is a complete all-in-one tour operator software to sell tours online — across a variety of channels — and manage back-office operations: booking management, website design, tour listings, resource planning, customer communications, and more. To explore our toolkit, start a 14-day free trial (no credit card required).
1. Ensure you have a smooth, reliable site for users to book 24/7
The absolute first thing you must do is make sure your site is running smoothly for travellers. There are two sides to this:
First, consider the user experience. You can assess this from a traveller’s POV just by exploring around your site. Is the navigation straightforward? Can users easily find and browse tour listings? Are booking options clearly visible? Can visitors quickly check availability for specific dates? Is pricing transparent upfront, or do customers have to dig to find costs?
If you encounter hiccups in this exercise, you know where to make improvements — like simplifying your navigation menu, making your “Book Now” buttons more prominent, or displaying key details like pricing and availability more clearly.
The other half of this — conducting a technical audit — allows you to double-check the back-end website performance. Technical audits check page loading times, broken links, responsiveness, mobile compatibility, SSL security, payment gateway functionality, and booking form errors.
If technical issues go unaddressed, Google may rank your site lower in search results. Potential guests who do find you might encounter errors that prevent them from booking — like forms that won’t submit, payment processors that fail, or pages that crash during checkout.
A quick technical audit can identify and address all these issues before they result in lost bookings.
This part can be trickier, but tools like Screaming Frog can assist with it. Many web developers and agencies also provide support for this.
2. Provide simple, easy-to-use booking engine widgets
An extension of #1 here is to ensure your booking widgets are clearly displayed (on multiple site pages) and easy for customers to use — on both desktop and mobile devices.
You can get a feel for the traveller booking process by completing a test booking — start by clicking the “Book Now” button, reserving a slot, and even completing checkout. Look for potential confusion or obstacles at each step.
You should also ensure that booking widgets include multiple secure payment options — such as credit cards, PayPal, and digital wallets — so customers can pay using their preferred way without abandoning the checkout process. It’s also helpful to display security badges and SSL certificates on checkout pages to build trust.
Another tip here is to keep booking forms short and straightforward to minimise friction and prevent drop-offs during booking. You can ask customers for basic contact information, how they heard about you, and if they have any special requests. But you shouldn’t go beyond that or ask travellers to complete a lengthy questionnaire to complete a booking.
If you want to gather more details about customer experiences, send a short optional survey after tours — this way, you get the insights you need without creating barriers to booking.
Read more: How to add a tour booking system to your website
3. Offer incentives — perks, discounts, or freebies — for booking directly
Give travellers a compelling reason to book directly (instead of through third-party sites) with special offers they can only get on your site. You can offer:
- Discounted rates: Like 10% off or early bird pricing for direct bookings
- Free add-ons: Complimentary gear rentals, welcome drinks, photo packages, or premium upgrades that enhance the tour experience
- Bundled packages: Combo deals where travellers can book two activities for a discount, or multi-day packages at reduced rates
- Flexible cancellation policies: Allow modifications or cancellations up to 24 hours in advance (or whatever timeframe works for your business), while OTAs might have stricter terms
- Exclusive experiences: Special tour times, behind-the-scenes access, or seasonal offerings only available through direct booking
- Loyalty perks: Rewards programs, repeat customer discounts, or referral bonuses for guests who book directly multiple times
- Limited-time promotions: Flash sales, seasonal deals, or last-minute discounts exclusive to your website
You can get as creative as you like here and change incentives for different tours or seasons.
4. Leverage reviews to showcase your tours & build credibility
Display traveller reviews throughout your website so potential customers can see feedback and experiences of other guests. But don’t just slot in positive reviews anywhere — be strategic about placement and presentation:
- Feature reviews on tour-specific pages: Show 3 to 5 recent reviews for each tour so visitors can see feedback about the exact experience they’re considering.
- Highlight specific details in reviews: Include comments mentioning guides by name, unique moments, or how you handled challenges (like weather changes).
- Use review snippets as social proof: Pull powerful quotes for your homepage: “Best day of our entire vacation!” or “Our guide made this tour unforgettable”.
- Show review recency and frequency: display dates and indicate how many total reviews you have to demonstrate consistent quality.
- Include photos from reviewers: Featuring images and videos from guest experiences is far more authentic than filling your site with generic stock photos. It also shows your appreciation for guest content and encourages new guests to share their experiences.
- Respond to reviews publicly: Thank guests and address any concerns to show you care about customer experience.
- Display trust indicators prominently, like safety certifications, tourism board memberships, or awards, to build traveller confidence.
The key is making reviews feel genuine and relevant to the specific tour experience, not just generic testimonials.
You can also check out our guide here for tips on earning more traveller reviews: 7 ways to collect more Tripadvisor reviews
5. Use email campaigns to retarget existing customers & direct them to your site
Email marketing lets you stay connected with past guests and guide them back to your website for future bookings. Since these travellers already know and trust your brand, they’re more likely to book directly rather than shop around on OTAs.
- Collect emails during booking: Ask for email addresses as part of your standard booking process and follow up with guests after tours.
- Send seasonal announcements: Alert past guests when their favourite tours are available for new seasons or when you launch similar experiences.
- Offer email-exclusive deals: Send subscribers special newsletter-only discounts or package deals they can redeem through your site.
- Create personalised recommendations: Suggest tours based on what guests previously booked to encourage repeat visits.
- Send last-minute availability alerts: When you have open spots, email local subscribers or recent visitors to your area with same-day or next-day booking opportunities.
- Celebrate tour anniversaries: Reach out around the anniversary of their last tour with a special offer to book again.
Always link to your booking pages and display links prominently — every email should include clear calls-to-action that send recipients directly to your website to take the next steps.
Regular email communication keeps your brand top-of-mind, so when past guests are ready to book their next adventure, they’ll think of you first and book directly through your website.
6. Promote your brand on social media platforms
Social media is an excellent, organic way to connect with your guests and potential new customers. It provides natural opportunities to promote your brand experiences, interact with others’ content, and target travellers who are interested in visiting locations near you.
- Share behind-the-scenes content: Show tour prep, guide introductions, or unique locations before guests arrive.
- Post real-time tour moments: Capture guests having fun, scenic views, or unexpected wildlife encounters.
- Feature guest content: Repost guest photos and videos, giving credit and showing authentic experiences.
- Create “day in the life” stories: Take followers through a typical tour from start to finish.
- Highlight seasonal experiences: showcase what makes tours special during different times of year.
- Share local knowledge: Post tips about your destination, hidden gems, or cultural insights that position you as the local expert.
- Tag notable locations in posts or use location-based hashtags: This helps travellers planning trips to your area discover your content.
- Partner with local influencers: Collaborate with travel bloggers or local personalities to expand your reach (Bókun Referral Tracking assists here).
- Run social media contests: encourage followers to share photos for chances to win discounts or free tours.
Most importantly, include your website link in social media bios (and within posts where appropriate) so those who find your page know exactly where to book.
7. Optimise for search engines so your site & tours appear in Google results
SEO (search engine optimisation) is another valuable way to help your site appear more frequently when travellers search for tours and activities in your area.
Now, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds here, as there are so many approaches to optimising website content. But just following simple SEO best practices can make a significant difference.
- Target relevant keywords specific to your tours and locations: Optimise pages for searches like “whale watching tours in [your city]” or “food tours near [landmark]”.
- Create detailed tour descriptions: Include natural mentions of activities, locations, and what guests can expect to help search engines understand your offerings.
- Consider adding blog posts: Engaging content on local attractions, seasonal travel tips, or “what to bring” that answer common traveller questions can help you appear for these types of queries.
- Include FAQ sections: Answer common questions about booking, weather policies, or what’s included to capture long-tail search queries.
- Use local SEO tactics: Mention nearby landmarks, neighbourhoods, and attractions to capture searches from travellers planning visits to your area.
- Optimise website images with descriptive names: Instead of “IMG_1234.jpg,” use “sunset-kayak-tour-downtown-harbor.jpg”
- Complete (and stay active on) your Google Business Profile: Keep hours, photos, and contact info current, and encourage satisfied guests to leave Google reviews.
For more advanced strategies, consider working with an SEO or digital marketing agency that specialises in this, or check out our detailed guide on tour operator SEO strategies.
Google automatically displays tours and activities at the very top of results, so users can instantly see suggestions and begin booking. The best part is that you can control where Google sends travellers to book, so you can plug your website link and earn more direct bookings from this program.
Check it out below:
Read more: Google Things to do: How it works & benefits of enrolling | Bókun Partners
8. Run targeted search & social media ads to drive visitors straight to your booking pages
You can also run paid ad campaigns so your tours and experiences appear at the top of Google search results and throughout social media channels — giving you immediate visibility when potential customers are actively looking for tours or planning travel to your area.
The key advantage of paid ads vs. SEO is speed. While SEO takes months (usually at least six to nine) to show results, targeted ads can drive bookings within days. That’s why many operators use a combination of both.
They rely more heavily on ads while building out their website. Then, once they’re ranking for popular keywords and seeing impressive organic performance, they can revisit ads and determine if they still want to use the budget there or allocate funds elsewhere.
Our best advice when initially starting ad campaigns is to:
- Start with small budgets: Test different copy, images, and landing pages, then scale up what performs best (vs. dumping all of your eggs into one basket right from the get-go).
- Align landing pages with ads: Ensure ads lead travellers directly to relevant booking pages (not your homepage) to improve conversion rates.
- Know your audience and tailor messaging accordingly: Create different ad sets for different traveller types (families, couples, solo travellers, etc.) with messaging that speaks directly to each group.
- Focus ad spend strategically: Allocate more of your budget to your most popular tours during peak booking periods to maximise conversions and return on investment.
- Monitor marketing campaign performance closely: Track key metrics like impressions, clicks, cost-per-click, and actual conversions from ads to identify what’s driving bookings (vs. what isn’t resulting in real business).
Here are some of the best channels and ways to leverage paid ads:
- Google Ads for high-intent searches: Target keywords like “book whale watching tour [your city]” or “[destination] food tour reservations” to capture travellers ready to book.
- Facebook and Instagram ads with visual appeal: Showcase tour photos or videos to travellers who’ve shown interest in your destination or similar activities.
- Retargeting campaigns: Show ads to people who visited your website but didn’t book, reminding them about specific tours they viewed.
- Seasonal and event-based campaigns: Advertise around peak travel times, local festivals, or holidays when demand for your tours is at its highest.
- Location-based targeting: Reach travellers currently in your area through mobile ads, or target people planning trips to your destination.
Bonus: Use insights to guide continued growth strategies
Once you get into a groove with these direct booking strategies and have some data to work with, you should dig into the findings to determine what’s working and where you can improve. Look at the tours customers book most often, if customers book more than one tour, when they’re booking, the types of add-ons or requests they have, where they initially find you, and more, so you can double down on your successes.
We suggest tracking:
- Booking conversion rates: Which tours have the highest percentage of visitors who actually complete bookings.
- Traffic sources: Whether visitors are finding you through social media, Google search, paid ads, or if they’re visiting your site directly.
- Seasonal patterns: When demand peaks for different tours, so you can adjust marketing spend and inventory.
- Customer lifetime value: Which website visitors book multiple tours or refer others, helping you identify your most valuable segments
- Average booking value: Track whether incentives and upsells are increasing how much customers spend per visit
This not only helps you lean into what’s working, but it lets you strategically troubleshoot what isn’t.
- Improve underperforming content: For example, if certain tour pages have high traffic but low bookings, you can test different descriptions, photos, or pricing.
- Adjust marketing efforts: Shift SEO strategies, ad spend, and social media content to direct more users to popular tours or align with your peak booking periods.
- Refine target audiences: Use demographic and booking data to determine the best traveller groups to target.
You should constantly review this data to improve month over month and season over season. Use these insights to guide your next steps: the tests you run, budgets you set, incentives you offer, website content, and more. This regular analysis ensures you’re investing time and money in strategies that actually drive direct bookings, not just those that feel like they should work.
Increase direct bookings with Bókun
Now, implementing these strategies effectively requires the right tools and systems to support your direct booking goals. That’s where Bókun comes into play.
Bókun is an all-in-one tour operator software with all of the tools you need to:
- Design a stunning booking website (that’s desktop and mobile-friendly by default) and enable direct website bookings.
- Build your online presence by selling tours via OTAs, partners, affiliates, and other channels.
- Consolidate all bookings in a central calendar and automate availability updates — so travellers see up-to-date pricing and availability no matter where they find you.
- Create attention-grabbing listings for all of your tours and travel experiences.
- Monitor inventory and staff availability to ensure you have all the pieces to provide smooth tour experiences.
- Offer flexible pricing, perks, cancellation policies, and more to fit your business best.
- Organise a comprehensive contact book with all guest data (customers who reserve tours from your website, OTAs, or other booking channels) in one place — simplifying customer communications and retargeting campaigns.
- Automate back-office admin tasks, like sending customers booking confirmations, tickets, reminders, follow-ups after tours, review requests, newsletters, and other marketing materials.
- Simplify check-ins so travellers can hit the ground running — without long lines and paperwork.
- Create a seamless guest experience from first discovery through bookings and day-of tours.
We’re one of the top-rated tour operator software (rated 4.7 stars on sites like Capterra) because:
- Our system is incredibly intuitive and user-friendly — requiring virtually no training — so anybody can get started and take advantage of our complete feature set.
- We keep things affordable and don’t complicate packages — all core features are available in our START plan for $49/month.
- On that note, we offer the lowest booking fees in the industry (1% to 1.5% for online bookings), so you keep more of what you earn.
- We’re a Tripadvisor brand with over a decade of experience and a vast network of resources to support our customers’ success — like the Bókun Marketplace with 27+ travel industry partners to build your network and reach new audiences.
- We have leading partnerships and integrations with many of the most popular online travel agencies. We’re a Viator Preferred Partner and offer premium connections with GetYourGuide, Google Things to do, and Airbnb.
Try Bókun 100% free for 14 days (no credit card required!) to see how our tools work together to drive more direct bookings for your business.
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