{"id":6804,"date":"2025-12-16T17:19:38","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:19:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bokunstg.wpenginepowered.com\/still-think-otas-steal-your-bookings-the-data-says-otherwise"},"modified":"2026-01-27T15:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T15:36:34","slug":"still-think-otas-steal-your-bookings-the-data-says-otherwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bokun.io\/es\/still-think-otas-steal-your-bookings-the-data-says-otherwise","title":{"rendered":"Still Think OTAs Steal Your Bookings? The Data Says Otherwise"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s fast-changing experiences industry, the landscape for tour, activity and attraction operators has shifted dramatically. From B\u00f3kun\u2019s perspective, a varied distribution strategy is now essential for survival and growth \u2013 not a nice-to-have.<\/span><\/p>\n

For years, operators have worried that leaning into Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) will \u201ccannibalise\u201d their direct bookings. It is an understandable fear, especially for businesses that invest heavily in their own websites and marketing, but the data increasingly shows this is an outdated assumption rather than a hard truth.<\/span><\/p>\n

The cannibalisation myth, up close<\/b><\/h3>\n

From small local operators to headline attractions, many still assume OTA listings mainly steal customers who would have booked direct anyway. That belief has held a lot of businesses back from digitising at scale and fully stepping into the modern experiences economy.<\/span><\/p>\n

In reality, OTAs tend to bring in customers operators \u2013 including well-known attractions \u2013 who would not have reached on their own: people browsing in different languages, in new source markets, or in closed-audience channels, and crucially at the \u201cinspiration\u201d stage when they are still open to options. In joint work with GetYourGuide, partners that joined the platform saw an average 36% increase in total revenue and 31% growth in ticket sales in the 12 months after listing, combining both direct and OTA bookings. Direct revenue rose by 14%, OTA revenue by 63%, with ticket sales up 18% via direct channels and 43% via OTAs \u2013 hardly the profile of a channel that simply replaces what you already have.<\/span><\/p>\n

The billboard effect, finally proven for experiences<\/b><\/h3>\n

Hotels have talked about the \u201cbillboard effect\u201d for years: appear on a major OTA and both indirect and direct bookings rise as travellers see you in more places and remember you when they are ready to buy. Until recently this was more analogy than proof for experiences, which is why the latest numbers from GetYourGuide\u2019s Travel Experience Trend Tracker are so important.<\/span><\/p>\n

What the findings really tell operators<\/b><\/h3>\n

The research is broad: 238 experience creators across eight categories, tracked over 24 months (12 before and 12 after joining GetYourGuide), supported by three independent research partners. A few points stand out:<\/span><\/p>\n