The Power of the Right OTAs

Introduction

Running an experience business today isn’t just about what happens on the water, the mountain, or the trail. It’s about where your experiences appear online and whether customers can find and book them in seconds.

For years, activity centres and tour operators relied on their own websites and loyal customer bases. But the way people discover and book experiences has completely changed. Today, online travel agencies (OTAs) like GetYourGuide, Adventuro, Tripadvisor Experiences and Google Things to Do drive the majority of new bookings across the sector.

The New Distribution Reality

Think of OTAs as the digital storefronts of the modern experience economy.

Customers don’t search for “sailing lesson at 10 am”; they search for “things to do near Brighton”. Whoever controls that search result gets the booking.

OTAs now dominate these discovery moments, backed by deep SEO budgets, ad placements, and integrations with Google and social channels. By connecting to them strategically, operators can:

• Tap into global audiences who’d never find them directly.

• Fill last-minute slots and smooth seasonal demand.

• Build social proof fast through verified reviews.

Yet not every OTA fits every business. The goal isn’t to be everywhere - it’s to be in the right places, with the right message, at the right price.

Picking the Right Partners

There are three broad categories worth thinking about:

1. Global Giants (Tripadvisor, GetYourGuide)

   • Great for reach and credibility.

   • Compete heavily on price; good for visibility, not margin.

   • Ideal for “high-volume, short duration” activities.

2. Niche or Passion Platforms (Adventuro, Much Better Adventures, etc.)

   • Smaller audiences but more qualified leads.

   • Customers come for depth, authenticity, and sustainability.

   • Often align better with specialist experiences like sailing, climbing, or kitesurfing.

3. Meta Platforms (Google Things to Do)

   • Don’t sell directly but connect search intent to live availability.

   • Becoming the default layer of discovery for local activities.

   • Crucial for local SEO and brand credibility.

The best strategy blends all three: a core presence on global platforms, selective niche exposure, and visibility through Google’s ecosystem.

The Pitfalls to Avoid

Many operators rush into OTA partnerships and end up losing control. Common traps include:

• Double bookings due to disconnected calendars.

• Misaligned pricing or accidental discounting.

• Brand dilution - customers book “through” the OTA, not with you.

That’s why integration - not manual management - is the key. A good booking system should act as your central source of truth, syncing availability, pricing, and booking data in real time. It should keep all of your customers in one place without you having to chase reps and email threads.

Unit economics: when an OTA booking is a great booking

At first glance, OTA commissions can look painful. A 20% fee on a £100 experience feels steep. But most operators underestimate what it costs them to win a direct booking: the Facebook ad spend, the time writing posts, the email tools, the website maintenance. When you total it up, many direct bookings cost £10–£25 in marketing before the guest even checks out.

The OTA fee is a performance cost. You only pay it when you sell. If it brings new guests, fills last-minute gaps, and helps you ride out slow weeks, it’s not a cost, it’s a channel.

The key is knowing your numbers. Track your average booking value, your repeat rate, and your margin per channel. If OTA customers rebook directly with you later, you’ve more than made your money back. If they don’t, your system should be designed to turn them into repeat guests through waivers, follow-ups, or post-visit offers.

The right OTA mix doesn’t just fill your calendar; it builds your funnel.

How Sailia fits into the picture

At Sailia, we’ve seen this shift up close. The most successful centres aren’t just those running great experiences, they’re also everywhere when a potential customer is looking for an activity. That’s why Sailia connects directly to leading OTAs including Adventuro, Tripadvisor, and Google Things to Do, syncing your availability, pricing, waivers, and guest data in real time.

It gives you the best of both worlds: full exposure, zero chaos. You can fill your sessions across multiple marketplaces, but every booking still lands in one place, your Sailia dashboard. This means that you never have to worry about double bookings or spiralling costs, everything is just simplified.

Because the goal isn’t to hand your business to OTAs. It’s to use them as amplifiers, while you keep the relationship and the brand.