Part 2: Why Adventure Businesses Love OTAs: The Reach You Can’t Buy

In Part 1, I mentioned that OTAs give you access to customers you’d never reach otherwise. But until you see the actual scope of their distribution networks, it’s hard to grasp just how massive this reach really is.

Let me show you what’s really happening behind the scenes – and why it might be worth the high commissions.

The Distribution Web You Never Knew Existed

When someone books your tour or adventure, they might think they’re booking through:

-Their credit card portal
– Their hotel concierge
– Rakuten for cashback rewards
– Their airline’s activity recommendations
– A cruise line shore excursion desk

But in reality? It’s all flowing through Viator, GetYourGuide, or Airbnb Experiences.

Once you sign up with an OTA, your tours and activities may appear in many places, that you might not even be aware of.

Here’s the actual scope of where your tours can appear:

Viator’s Hidden Network

• Credit Card Travel Portals: Chase Ultimate Rewards, Capital One Travel, American Exress Travel
• Airline Partnerships: Allegiant, Southwest, and dozens of international carriers
• Hotel Integrations: Major chains offering activity recommendations to guests
• Cruise Lines: Shore excursion programs for multiple cruise companies
• Cashback Sites: Rakuten offers huge incentives for Viator bookings
• Tourism Boards: Official destination websites powered by Viator’s inventory

GetYourGuide’s Reach

• Hotel Concierge Systems: Front desk staff recommending activities through GYG’s platform
• Travel Insurance Companies: Activity recommendations as part of travel packages
• Corporate Travel: Business travel platforms including activities in itineraries
• International Partnerships: Tourism offices worldwide using GYG as their activity backbone

Airbnb Experiences’ Advantage

• The Airbnb Ecosystem: Millions of users already planning accommodations
• Cross-Platform Promotion: Activities suggested based on where people are staying
• International Reach: Particularly strong in markets where Airbnb dominates lodging
  

The Customer Journey You Never See

Here’s a real example of how this works:

Sarah is planning a Florida vacation. She books her flight using Chase points, and the Chase travel portal suggests activities in Sarasota. She clicks on a paddleboard tour, books it, and receives a confirmation from Chase.

To Sarah, she booked directly through her credit card company. But behind the scenes:
1. Chase’s travel portal is powered by Viator
2. Viator processes the booking and takes their commission
3. The booking flows into your Fareharbor system
4. You deliver the experience, never knowing Sarah thought she booked “direct”

You just acquired a customer through a distribution channel you could never access on your own – but you paid Viator’s commission instead of Chase’s advertising fees.

The Marketing Power You Can’t Replicate

Let’s be honest about what you’re up against as a small adventure business:

Your Google Ads budget: Maybe $500-2000/month
Viator’s Google Ads budget: Millions per month, globally

Not to mention the team of people they have constantly managing Google ads. For us, Google Ads is such a small part of our marketing, mostly because we don’t have the staff on hand to constantly work on changing and refreshing things.

Your social media reach: Local followers, maybe some travel hashtags
GetYourGuide’s reach: Partnerships with major travel influencers and tourism boards worldwide

Your email list: Hundreds or thousands of past customers
Airbnb’s user base: Over 100 million users actively planning travel

This isn’t a fair fight, and that’s exactly the point.

You’re not trying to compete with these platforms – you’re trying to leverage their marketing power.

International Customer Acquisition

One of the biggest benefits that adventure business owners underestimate is international reach.

Before OTAs, how would someone planning a vacation from Germany find your kayak tour in Sarasota? They’d have to:
– Know Sarasota exists as a destination
– Search specifically for kayak tours there
– Find your website among hundreds of results
– Trust a small business they’ve never heard of
– Navigate payment in a foreign currency

With OTAs, that same German traveler:
– Searches “Florida activities” on a platform they trust
– Sees your tour with dozens of reviews
– Books with one click using familiar payment methods
– Gets customer service in their language if needed

You just acquired an international customer with zero international marketing effort.

The Trust Factor

Here’s something that’s hard to quantify but incredibly valuable: borrowed credibility.

When customers book through established platforms, they’re not just buying your tour – they’re buying the platform’s reputation for customer service, refund policies, and reliability.

A first-time visitor to your area might hesitate to book directly with a local business they’ve never heard of. But they’ll confidently book that same experience through Airbnb or Viator because they trust the platform.

You get the benefit of that trust without having to build it yourself over years.

Why Customers Choose OTAs (And Why That Matters to Adventure Businesses)

Here’s the thing – I’m not just writing about OTAs as a business owner. I’ve been the customer too.

When I’m traveling, I often book through Viator or GetYourGuide, even though I would prefer to work with the company directly. But, a lot of times, it is not that easy.

While booking through an OTA is never my first choice, I have definitely done it. Why?

The platform is in my language. I can pay in my currency without worrying about foreign transaction fees. If something goes wrong, I know exactly who to contact for help. The booking process is familiar and fast.

But here’s what’s important for you as a business owner: I’m still discovering local experiences. I’m not avoiding local businesses – I’m using OTAs to find them more easily.

That German traveler I mentioned earlier? They’re not choosing between your website and Viator. They’re choosing between Viator and not knowing you exist at all.

The Customer Convenience Factor

From the customer side, OTAs solve real problems:

• Language barriers: Everything in their native language
• Payment simplicity: Familiar checkout process, trusted payment methods
• Customer service: 24/7 support in multiple languages
• Booking confidence: Reviews, photos, clear cancellation policies
• One-stop planning: Book multiple activities in one place

You might have the best paddleboard tour in Sarasota, but if a customer can’t easily understand your booking process or feels uncertain about payment, they’ll book elsewhere.

OTAs remove those friction points, making it easier for customers to say yes to your experience.

The Reality Check for Outdoor Businesses

Here’s my honest confession as a traveler: I’ve found amazing local experiences on Viator, then tried to book directly with the provider to save them the commission. But sometimes I just can’t figure out their website.

Maybe it’s not mobile-friendly. Maybe the booking process is confusing. Maybe it’s not clear what’s included or when to show up. Maybe there’s a language barrier, or the payment system doesn’t work with my card.

So even though it pains me to give Viator that commission, I end up booking through them anyway because I still want to experience what that local business offers.

This is crucial for adventure business owners to understand: customers aren’t choosing between you and OTAs.

They’re choosing between booking through an OTA and not booking at all.

If your direct booking process has any friction – confusing navigation, unclear pricing, complicated checkout, poor mobile experience – you’re essentially pushing customers toward OTAs even when they’d prefer to book direct.

The OTA becomes the path of least resistance to experiencing your business.

Revenue That Wouldn’t Exist Otherwise

The key question isn’t “Are OTA commissions expensive?” It’s “Would these customers have found you without OTAs?”

For many bookings, the answer is no. That German traveler, the Chase rewards customer, the hotel guest following concierge recommendations – these aren’t customers you lost to OTAs. These are customers you gained because of OTAs.

Yes, you’re paying 20-30% commission. But 70-80% of revenue that wouldn’t exist otherwise is still 100% more than $0.

The Seasonal Smoothing Effect

Adventure businesses are inherently seasonal. OTAs can help smooth out those peaks and valleys by:
– Reaching customers planning trips months in advance
– Connecting you with different seasonal travel patterns (international visitors, cruise passengers, etc.)
– Providing consistent booking volume during shoulder seasons

Instead of scrambling to fill tours during slow periods, you might find OTAs delivering steady bookings year-round.

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The reach is undeniable, but it comes with costs beyond just commissions.

In Part 3, we’ll dive into the operational challenges that nobody warns you about – and what you can actually do about them.