Online travel agencies (OTAs) have become a dominant force in the tours and activities industry. They offer a vast reach, robust marketing power, and access to customers that might never find your business otherwise. However, they also come with challenges—high commissions, brand control limitations, and the potential for over-reliance.
Many operators fall into two camps: those who embrace OTAs fully and make them an essential part of their marketing strategy and those who avoid them entirely out of fear of losing direct business. The reality is that OTAs can be an incredible tool for growth when used correctly. The key is to strike the right balance—leveraging OTAs to attract new customers while maintaining a strong direct booking strategy.
In my book, Mastering OTAs, I break down the most effective strategies that tour and activity operators can use to maximize revenue, maintain brand strength, and ensure long-term success. Here are five key best practices that can help you navigate the OTA landscape successfully in 2025.
1. Be Consistent with Your Product Content and Images on All Platforms
One of the most overlooked aspects of managing OTAs is content consistency. Your images, descriptions, pricing, and availability should be uniform across all platforms, including your direct website.
Why is this so important? Customers shop around. If they see different photos, descriptions, or pricing on your direct site versus an OTA, it creates confusion and doubt. Even minor inconsistencies can lead potential bookers to second-guess your credibility and ultimately abandon their purchase.
The best approach is to have a master listing that serves as the foundation for all your content across OTAs, your website, and any other distribution channels. This ensures that every potential customer, regardless of where they find you, receives the same message about your brand and experience. While it’s relatively unknown how much direct business can be attributed to OTA leakage, it’s happening all the time and can make a difference.
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2. Focus on Quality Listings, Not Quantity
It’s tempting to list every possible tour or experience on as many OTAs as possible, but this approach often leads to diminishing returns. Instead of focusing on quantity, prioritize quality.
Each OTA has a unique audience and algorithm that determines visibility. Simply listing a product doesn’t guarantee bookings. In fact, too many listings can dilute your brand and spread your marketing efforts too thin. A better strategy is to identify which experiences perform best and invest in optimizing those listings.
Start by evaluating your top-selling experiences. These should receive the most attention in terms of content, imagery, and pricing strategy. If an experience isn’t performing well on an OTA, instead of adding more listings, ask yourself why. It might need better images, a more compelling description, or a pricing adjustment.
Some OTAs also offer premium placements or advertising opportunities. If a particular tour is consistently ranking well organically, it may be worth investing in boosted visibility to further increase sales. However, spreading your budget too thin across multiple OTAs with subpar listings will yield poor results.
In short, focus on making a few high-quality listings stand out rather than flooding OTAs with every product you offer. A well-crafted listing with strong visuals, compelling copy, and strategic pricing will always outperform a scattered approach.
3. Use Storytelling and Key Moments to Improve Your Images
Strong visuals are one of the most critical factors in converting OTA traffic into bookings. But it’s not just about having high-resolution images—it’s about telling a story through those images.
Customers book experiences based on emotion and aspiration. They want to envision themselves in the moment. That means your images should capture key moments that create excitement and anticipation.
Instead of generic group shots, highlight action, interaction, and emotion. A photo of a family laughing together on a dolphin cruise is far more compelling than a stock image of a boat on the water. A shot of a couple toasting at sunset during a wine tour sells the experience better than a wide-angle vineyard photo.
If your experience includes special touches, showcase them. Does your sunset tour come with a complimentary glass of champagne? Show that moment. Do guests get a behind-the-scenes look at a historical site? Capture their expressions as they explore.
Storytelling through images isn’t just about aesthetics—it directly impacts conversion rates. People make booking decisions based on how an experience makes them feel. The more your visuals evoke excitement, connection, and uniqueness, the more bookings you’ll secure.
4. Emphasize Your Rank and Understand What It Takes to Improve It
Your ranking in OTA search results plays a crucial role in driving bookings. Data from TripShock reveals that the top three listings in any search capture an average of 78% of total bookings. Additionally, the average traveler views just 2.2 listings before making a purchase, highlighting the importance of convenience in their decision-making process. Since most users rarely scroll beyond the first page, securing a high-ranking position is essential for maximizing visibility and conversions.
OTAs determine rankings using multiple factors, including:
- Conversion rates (higher conversion leads to higher ranking)
- Availability (More availability means more booking potential)
- Customer reviews (more positive reviews improve visibility)
- Price competitiveness (if competitors offer a similar experience at a better price, you may rank lower)
- Engagement (frequent updates, promotions, and quality content boost rankings)
Understanding these factors allows you to take proactive steps to improve your listing’s performance. Respond to reviews, ensure pricing is competitive, update content regularly, and monitor how changes impact your ranking. OTAs want profitable partnerships that drive customer loyalty and satisfaction. Some of the policies might not always be supplier-friendly, but those who adapt will reap the benefits.
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5. Plan Your Product Launch, Don’t Rush It
Launching a new product on an OTA is more than just listing it and hoping for bookings. Many OTAs offer a temporary boost in visibility for newly launched experiences, making the first few weeks crucial for establishing a strong ranking. A poorly executed launch can lead to weak engagement, low conversion rates, and a longer road to success. Here’s how to make the most of your product launch from day one.
Leverage the OTA Listing Boost
Most OTAs prioritize new listings in search results to help them gain initial traction. This boost can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, giving you a short window of heightened exposure. To capitalize on this opportunity, make sure your listing is fully optimized before it goes live.
Your visuals, pricing, and content should be polished and compelling from day one. A strong first impression increases your chances of converting early visitors into bookings, which in turn signals to the OTA algorithm that your listing is performing well—helping to sustain higher rankings even after the initial boost fades.
Research the Competition Before Listing
Before launching your experience, take time to analyze competitors offering similar products. Pay close attention to:
- Pricing strategies – Is my pricing competitive for the type of product?
- Product title – Does it include the category, location, and unique value proposition?
- Categories and tags – Is my product category the right fit for what I’m selling?
Request an OTA Account Rep Review (If Available)
If your OTA provides account management support, take advantage of it. OTA reps have insight into trends, algorithm changes, and best practices that can help optimize your listing.
Ask them to review your product page before or shortly after launch. They may offer recommendations on refining descriptions, adjusting pricing, or improving imagery to enhance visibility and conversion rates. This small step can make a significant difference in how your product performs from the start.
Opt Into Featured Programs for Additional Exposure
Some OTAs offer paid or performance-based promotional programs that give new listings extra visibility in search results. While these programs require an investment, the added exposure can accelerate engagement, drive early bookings, and help generate reviews faster.
Final Thoughts: OTAs as a Growth Tool, Not a Risk
Many operators view OTAs as either a necessary evil or a complete threat to direct business. The reality is that OTAs are neither—they’re a tool. When used strategically, they can drive substantial growth while complementing your direct booking efforts.
By maintaining content consistency, implementing smart pricing strategies, leveraging OTA data, focusing on quality listings, and using storytelling to enhance visuals, you can turn OTAs into an asset rather than a liability.
The most successful operators don’t rely solely on OTAs, nor do they avoid them completely. They find a balance that maximizes exposure while keeping control of their brand and customer relationships.
If you take the right approach, OTAs can be a gateway to more bookings, more revenue, and ultimately, a stronger business.
About the Author
Greg Fisher is a seasoned entrepreneur and the founder of TripShock and WaveRez, two leading booking and reservation platforms in the tour and boating industries. An Arival regular, Fisher is also the co-host of the Awkward Watersports Guys podcast, and recently published a book entitled Mastering OTAs: The Definitive Guide for Tour Operators.
Learn More about OTAs and Distribution at Arival
Join us at an upcoming Arival event to learn more about working with OTAs and building your distribution strategy, and connect with representatives from some of the key OTAs and other resellers in person. Also, learn more about distribution in the latest Arival Guide to OTAs & Digital Distributors, and check out this overview of alternative distribution methods beyond OTAs.
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Header photo: Pexels / Frans van Heerden
