Bucking the Trends: Auld Reekie Tours’ “Exponential Rise” Through OTAs

Small groups, locals, direct booking? Not for ghost tour operator Auld Reekie Tours. They’re all in on OTAs, international visitors, and bigger groups

Reading Time: 3 minutes 5 seconds

Direct bookings over OTAs, domestic travelers over international, small groups over large. These are the trends the tour industry has seen through the pandemic as holiday makers have searched for safety and what is actually possible. In Edinburgh, Scotland, Auld Reekie Tours is bucking each of these.

“We’ve seen an exponential rise,” Ian McKain, the operation’s managing director, says “Back in January, February 2019, just before Covid struck, we were up over 80% on each month in the previous year. 

“We opened in May of this year and we’ve been in the six figures every month — May, June, July, August and even September.”

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Auld Reekie Tours, named after an old nickname for the city, runs ghost tours through parts of Edinburgh’s 120 underground vaults. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, these used to form a subterranean city of pubs, shops and storage. 

Dark and damp, they quickly became a haven for crime and by 1860 even the homeless living there had moved out. Their story became part of the myths of Edinburgh, one of the most haunted cities in the world.

Auld Reekie owns a large section of the vaults and has exclusive use of them. Currently, 20 tours run a day and there’s plans to introduce a one-way system through their network so that one can depart with between 32 and 40 people every 10 minutes. This would triple the number of tours running.

Driven by Online Distribution

Bucking the Trends: Auld Reekie Tours’ “Exponential Rise” Through OTAs Ben Finch Arival
“It makes it quicker — everything’s paid in advance,” McKain says — Connor Mollison / Unsplash

Sales from international travelers come mostly through OTAs. Auld Reekie connects to them via its booking system, FareHarbor. Without walkups, there are no longer any queues round the block. “It makes it a better experience for people,” McKain says. “In the days before API integration, we’d get 90 or a 100 people at the door. It was unmanageable. 

“Now the controls are in place, it makes it quicker. We don’t have to bring them into an office and pay by card, or pay by cash — everything’s paid in advance. And it gives them a lot more time on the tour.”

McKain has few complaints about paying commission to the OTAs. In his mind, he lets them handle the advertising so he can concentrate on getting 5-star reviews to push them up the listings. “People find you a lot easier,” he says, adding that he does not even focus much on marketing the company’s website. 

“They have massive advertising budgets and there’s no way our company can match that to try and catch people. It saves me getting into all this technical stuff so I can just sit back — have life a bit easier.”

“We’ve Hardly had any Pickup with Small Groups”

Bucking the Trends: Auld Reekie Tours’ “Exponential Rise” Through OTAs Ben Finch Arival
Small groups have not worked out for Auld Reekie Tours — Jamie Wheeler / Unsplash

At the height of Covid, VisitScotland suggested that Auld Reekie move towards small group tours, but these didn’t work. “We’ve hardly had any pickup with that,” McKain says. “People prefer just to come on the normal tours. With a bigger tour you get more atmosphere on it. 

“I think the fear with Covid is abating as well, so the demand for smaller tours is going to just evaporate away.”

As demand picks up and with the new schedule planned, McKain is hiring again. He prefers actors over historians.

“I never used historians, historians are like accountants. They’d bore you to death. You want to be entertained for the time you’re with them.

“The bottom line is entertainment. The reason I use actors is because the reason they go into that profession is to show off — they love to act. That comes across on the tours. Their enthusiasm feeds the customer’s.”

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WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARIVAL | ACTIVATE EDINBURGH AND ARIVAL 360 | VALENCIA AND WHICH SHOULD I ATTEND?

Since 2019, Arival has hosted one major event in Europe each year. For 2024-2025, we’re thrilled to offer two exciting events: Arival 360 | Valencia and Arival | Activate Edinburgh. Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide which event to attend—or why you might want to come to both:

Arival 360 | Valencia (28-30 April 2025)
  • Scope: Flagship European Event with a global reach; up to 30% of attendees from outside Europe, including the U.S., Middle East, LATAM, and APAC.
  • Audience: Experience creators, tech and distribution companies, and industry professionals from around the world.
  • Arival Theater Content: Global topics including: over-tourism and sustainability, technology, distribution, European consumer and operator trends.
  • Breakout Sessions: In-depth workshops on operational best practices, product expansion, AI, channel management, marketing tech, a Spain-specific track and an Innovation Showcase highlighting the most tech-savvy companies in our industry.
  • Networking: Connect with leading OTAs and distribution companies, and build valuable partnerships.
  • Location: Valencia, a stunning coastal city offering rich cultural experiences.
  • Attendees: Approximately 800, providing extensive networking opportunities.
Arival | Activate Edinburgh (23-25 November 2024)
  • Scope: Regional focus on the UK, Ireland, and the Nordic regions.
  • Audience: Operators and industry professionals from the region.
  • Content: Gain insights on regional topics like technology, distribution strategies, and hear from top regional tourism leaders.
  • Breakout Sessions: Experience hands-on learning at Edinburgh’s top attractions and tours, with sessions on visitor experience, digital journeys and innovative tour development. In-depth sessions for companies at the beginning of their digital journey and more advanced sessions for people and companies looking to elevate their experience.
  • Networking: With a more intimate setting. you’ll have more time to build deeper connections and create more meaningful interactions with your current and future partners including distributors, tech companies, DMOs and more.
  • Location: Edinburgh, known for its stunning architecture and historic charm
  • Attendees: Approximately 400, fostering an intimate peer-to-peer learning and networking environment.
Key Differences:
  • Global vs. Regional Focus: Valencia is a global event with an international audience, while Edinburgh is a regional event focused on the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions.
  • Event Size: Valencia hosts about 800 attendees, providing broad networking opportunities, whereas Edinburgh’s 400 attendees create a more intimate, focused environment.
  • Content and Sessions: Valencia features global themes and advanced topics, whereas Edinburgh provides region-specific insights and hands-on experiential learning.
  • Location Experience: Valencia providing a coastal escape and Edinburgh offering historic and iconic attractions.
  • Who Will Be There: The most valuable part of Arival Events is the connections you make and the partnerships you build to grow your business. At Arival | Activate Edinburgh, you’ll engage with key industry players in the UK, Ireland, and Nordic regions. If your business focus is on these areas, Edinburgh is where you need to be. For those targeting broader European or global markets, Arival 360 | Valencia offers the ideal platform to network with international leaders and innovators. 
Why attend both?

With limited opportunities for business development, learning, and networking in our industry, attending both events is a strategic move. By participating in both Edinburgh and Valencia, you maximize your exposure to diverse markets and influential contacts. 

However, if budget constraints or a specific regional focus dictate your decisions, choose the event that best aligns with your primary business goals. Join us in Edinburgh for regional insights or Valencia for global perspectives—or better yet, attend both to fully leverage the potential of Arival’s expansive network.

For service providers such as a restech or ticketing platform, distribution company, or other services including marketing, AI tools, etc., attending both gives you access to attendees from both markets to connect with your current customers and to meet new ones!

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