OTAs Now Capture Third of Travel Experience Bookings

Key insights and strategies to help tour, activity and attraction operators take advantage of this fast growing distribution channel, in latest report

by | 14 April 2025

While online bookings for travel experiences have grown steadily over the past few years, online travel agencies (OTAs) have seen the most rapid growth. 

According to Operators & OTAs, the latest report from Arival’s research series on The Global Operator Landscape (3rd Ed.), OTAs captured one third of bookings in the tours, activities and attractions sector in 2024, up from 24% in 2019. 

While operators have a variety of approaches to working with OTAs, it’s clear this sales channel is increasingly important for operators in 2025 and beyond. The latest Arival report explores the Operator-OTA relationship, including channel trends by operator segment and region, diversifying bookings, connectivity challenges, and more.

Online Sales Channels Increase Lead in Experiences

Travelers are planning and booking online more now than ever. Online channels – which include OTAs such as Viator and GetYourGuide, and the websites of tour and activity operators and attractions – have taken the lead since 2019, when they edged over 50% of total sales. The acceleration through 2024 is a clear signal of shifting consumer behavior.

Online and Offline Sales for Travel Experiences Graph by Arival Travel

Operator  Takeaway:  As online bookings continue to grow, it’s essential for operators to maintain a user-friendly online presence. Tour, activity and attraction operators that take a digital- and mobile-first approach to marketing and distribution will lead the industry as the shift to online booking continues in 2025 and beyond. 

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OTAs Take Greater Share of Bookings in 2024

Amidst this growth of online bookings, OTAs have been the fastest growing channel for tours and activity operators, increasing from 24% in 2019 to 33% of all bookings in 2024. They also grew significantly for visitor attractions, more than doubling in share from 8% to 18% of all bookings.

OTA Share of Bookings Arival Travel Graph

Operator  Takeaway: To optimize your booking potential, a well-rounded sales approach is essential. Boosting your digital footprint with a streamlined, optimized website, coupled with OTA partnerships, can elevate your brand visibility and increase your booking opportunities.

Dig Deeper with The OTAs & Operators Report

The latest Global Operator Landscape (3rd Ed.) report delves into experiences distribution for operators and the state of OTAs, from channel trends by region and operator segment to the operator-OTA relationship, connectivity and diversifying your distribution channels. This outlook report, exclusively for Arival Insider Pro Access members, is packed with essential insights to help you grow your third-party bookings more profitably.

Learn More with Arival Research

The Global Operator Landscape (3rd Ed.) Research Series

Arival’s annual survey of the global operator industry is the most comprehensive and in-depth study on travel’s third-largest sector: experiences. Based on a survey of more than 7,000 operators worldwide, the third edition of Arival’s Global Operator Landscape research study  informs a series of reports on different sub-segments and geographic regions within the tours, activities and attractions sector.

Arival thanks our study sponsors: Launch Partner GetYourGuide, and Strategic Insights Partners Catalunya, Expian, Rezgo, Tripworks and Viator, as well as the many Fielding Partners that helped distribute the survey — see the full list here. 

Get the full Arival experience by joining us at an upcoming Arival event, and hear the latest research insights and tips on distribution and sales strategy for the experiences sector directly from tours, activities and attractions industry leaders and experts. 

Become an Insider Pro Access member today and get access to the full library of Arival research, plus many other benefits such as free consulting sessions, special discounts and 20% off in-person events, starting from $179 per year.

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Header photo: Pexels / Picha Stock

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Tags: online travel agencies, ota, attractions, working with OTAs, distribution, Featured, online bookings, travel experiences, tours and activities, travel industry research, online travel agency, in-destination experiences, online travel bookings
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