What Are OTAs? A Guide for Adventure Businesses

If you’re running an adventure business, you’ve definitely heard of Viator, GetYourGuide, and Airbnb Experiences. Maybe someone told you they’re a great way to fill empty seats. Maybe you signed up and immediately got overwhelmed by commission rates, confusing dashboards, and booking policies that don’t quite make sense for outdoor businesses.

We’ve been there. After running SURFIT USA for over 13 years, we’ve used every major OTA platform — and made every mistake in the book. This series is what we wish someone had handed us on day one.

What Exactly Are OTAs?

Online Travel Agencies are third-party booking platforms that sell your tours and activities to travelers worldwide. Think of them as the Expedia of experiences. A tourist in Berlin planning a trip to Hawaii can find and book your kayak tour without ever visiting your website.

The big three for adventure businesses are:

  • Viator (owned by TripAdvisor) — the largest, with heavy international and cruise ship traffic
  • GetYourGuide — strong with European travelers, growing fast in the US
  • Airbnb Experiences — more casual, great for local-feeling adventures

Each takes a commission on every booking — typically 20-30%. That’s steep. But what you get in return is access to a distribution network that’s almost impossible to build on your own.

The Distribution Web You Never Knew Existed

Here’s what most adventure business owners don’t realize: when you list on Viator, your tour doesn’t just show up on viator.com. Viator is owned by TripAdvisor, which feeds into a massive network of travel sites, hotel concierge platforms, cruise line excursion pages, and travel agency booking systems.

Your single listing can appear in dozens of places you’d never be able to reach through Google ads or Instagram. A travel agent in London can book your tour for their client. A cruise ship passenger can find you through their onboard excursion portal. That’s reach you simply cannot buy through traditional marketing.

Why This Series Exists

Over the next five posts, we’re going to walk you through everything you need to know about OTAs as an adventure business owner:

  • Part 2: The hidden marketing power that makes OTAs worth the commission
  • Part 3: The real costs nobody tells you about upfront
  • Part 4: The operational headaches — waivers, bookings, and customer communication
  • Part 5: Which OTA you should start with (and why it matters)
  • Part 6: How to set up your first OTA without the expensive mistakes

This isn’t theory. Everything in this series comes from our own experience and conversations with dozens of other adventure business owners. Some of these lessons cost us thousands of dollars to learn.

Ready? Let’s start with why adventure businesses love OTAs (despite the commission).

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