Online Travel Agents, or OTAs, are the companies that people think of when they want to book an affordable yet exciting trip online. No longer do travelers need to head to their local agency in order to discuss their preferences and budget for their upcoming vacation. Now they can jump online, search their destination along with the specified dates of travel, and there will be a package delivered to them instantly.

As a tour and activity provider, you aren’t going to be able to compete with the OTAs in order to compete for direct bookings. Instead of working against travel giants like Expedia, Viator and Travelocity, work with them!

Why Is It Not Worth It to Compete with an OTA?

  • OTAs have a reach far wider than one single tour and activity provider could ever have. They have large marketing budgets and they employ expert marketing professionals in order to reach out to many different segments within the travel and tourism market. Tourists of all backgrounds head to these OTAs in order to book their entire trip with one simple click.
  • The search engines are dominated by OTAs, and you’re never going to overpower them in the rankings. This means that you’re never going to get the same influx of customers that they will, and it won’t be worth your own time, energy and resources. stay focused on your core business.

What Can You Do Then? List with an OTA!

You can work with an OTA in order to list your products with them, allowing them to resell your tours and activities for a commission. You will want to make sure that you have an online booking system that offers real-time availability, in order to make sure that your product promotions are accurate and relevant. Here’s why you should list with an OTA today:

  • You will increase your online bookings significantly when you partner with an OTA. An OTA has access to travelers across the globe, and they can easily connect you with those who are most interested in your products. This helps to raise awareness about your brand and allows you to reach out to an audience you would not otherwise have access to.
  • You get paid per booking, which involves less risk than pay-per-click advertising. OTAs are going to sell your products, and every time you book a tour you will get paid. With pay-per-click advertising, you have to pay for the number of people who click on your ad, but not all of those visitors actually convert into customers. It’s an expensive advertising game to play if you are not certain you will get the results that you need.

Rezdy is the online booking system that you need to implement if you want to connect with the best OTAs in the industry. Top-rated travel brands such as Viator, Travelocity, Expedia and Wotif use the Rezdy Channel Manager in order to access available tours and activities in a given destination.

Learn how Rezdy’s channel manager works





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