There’s A New Way For Travel Agents To Book Tours and Activities

Middlemen distributors are a thing of the past since TripAdvisor’s brand Viator revealed a new Booking Tool for Travel Agents to book tours and activities without them.

Travel agents worldwide can now go directly to the source and book over 70,000 tours and attractions in thirteen currencies, earning an 8 percent commission on all bookings. They’re even handling customer support and payment processing.

Viator handles all customer support, including collecting payment from the agent at the time of booking. Although the process is free, Host agencies and independent agents must register on the platform and be approved prior to utilizing the new tool. The company says it has been beta testing since early August, and “thousands” have given nothing but positive feedback.

One of the drawbacks at this time is that the platform makes it clear to the consumer that the experience was booked through Viator. TripAdvisor is not offering a white label option at this time. The company positions itself as the first consumer-facing aggregator of tours and activities to offer direct, commissionable booking for travel agents. Will rivals PlacePass and GetYourGuide be following in their footsteps?

A Viator spokesperson said: “We think [our new platform] is the most efficient, lucrative way for [agents] to book Viator products and serve their clients.”

Are you a Travel Agent who has used this new booking tool? Share your experiences.