Viator and GetYourGuide Commission vs Direct Bookings
OTAs bring travellers you would not reach alone, but a 20–30% commission changes the maths of every booking. Here is how to compare the real cost with selling direct.
For many tour and activity operators, Viator and GetYourGuide are where the first bookings come from. They have huge audiences, strong search visibility and travellers who already trust them with a card. They also take a large share of every booking.
This article looks at what the two biggest online travel agencies (OTAs) typically charge, what that commission really costs compared with a booking on your own website, and how to use OTAs without becoming dependent on them.
What Viator and GetYourGuide typically charge
Neither platform publishes a single rate card for suppliers, and both treat individual terms as something you agree when you sign up. The figures below come from the sources cited, and your own rate may differ.
Viator
- Viator is part of Tripadvisor. Rezdy’s supplier guide states that Viator “does have a standard commission rate of 20% of the advertised price”.
- TrekkSoft’s comparison gives the same 20% figure and notes that Viator expects suppliers not to undercut it on their own websites.
- In August 2026, Skift reported an updated Viator supplier agreement that gives Viator and its distribution partners (such as other OTAs, airlines and packagers) autonomy over the final retail price shown to consumers. Operators still supply net rates and recommended retail prices, but have less control over what travellers ultimately see.
GetYourGuide
- GetYourGuide’s own supplier page says there is no cost to list an activity, commission is charged only on successful bookings, and “rates may vary depending on your country of operation”.
- Magpie, a distribution company, reports a range of 20–35%, negotiated with your account manager, plus a 2% increase if you choose twice-monthly payouts rather than monthly.
- TrekkSoft puts the range at 20–30%, set by destination and activity type, with higher-volume suppliers receiving lower rates.
- Xola notes that suppliers are asked to keep their commission confidential and that no commission is charged when a guest cancels within the free cancellation period.
Taken together, it is reasonable to plan on an OTA commission of typically 20–30% of the retail price, sometimes more.
The real cost of one booking
Commission is easiest to understand on a single booking. Take a $100 tour sold three ways:
| OTA at 20% | OTA at 30% | Your own website | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price the traveller pays | $100.00 | $100.00 | $100.00 |
| Commission | $20.00 | $30.00 | $0.00 |
| Card processing | Included by the OTA | Included by the OTA | About $3.20 |
| You receive | $80.00 | $70.00 | About $96.80 |
The card processing figure uses Stripe’s standard US rate of 2.9% + 30¢ for a domestic card. International cards and currency conversion add more, and rates vary by country and provider, but the gap is still large. On a direct booking you also pay for your booking software and your marketing, which the next section deals with.
Over a season the difference compounds. If you sell $100,000 of tours through OTAs at 25%, you pay $25,000 in commission. The same revenue sold direct would cost roughly $3,000–4,000 in card fees plus your software and marketing.
What commission actually buys
It would be wrong to treat OTA commission as pure loss. It pays for things that are genuinely hard for a small operator to do alone:
- Demand you cannot reach. Travellers searching inside the OTA apps, many of whom would never find your website.
- Trust. First-time visitors to a destination may not book an unknown company’s website but will book through a platform they have used before.
- Marketing spend. Paid search, display and app campaigns that would cost you far more to run yourself.
- Payments and customer service. Taking payment in many currencies and handling some traveller queries.
The question is not “OTA or direct” but “which bookings should go through which channel”. A first-time visitor discovering your tour on an app in another country is a reasonable use of commission. A repeat guest, a referral from your hotel partner or someone who searched your company name should not be costing you 25%.
The hidden costs of relying on OTAs
Beyond the headline rate, heavy OTA dependence carries risks that are worth naming:
- Price control. Under terms like the updated Viator agreement reported by Skift, partners may display a different retail price from the one you recommend.
- Customer relationship. You often receive limited contact details, which makes repeat bookings and reviews on your own channels harder.
- Ranking volatility. Your position in OTA search results can change with algorithm updates, reviews or competitor pricing, and a fall can empty your calendar quickly.
- Rate pressure. Commission percentages are set by the platform and may rise over time.
- Payout timing. OTAs pay on their own schedule, typically after the activity, so cash for a busy season arrives later than direct bookings would.
How to shift the balance towards direct bookings
The aim is to let OTAs do what they are good at, finding new travellers, while making your own website the natural place to book for everyone else.
Make your own website at least as easy as the OTA
Travellers compare. If your website has a clear price, live availability and a short checkout, many will book direct, particularly if they arrived via Google or your Google Business Profile. Our tour booking website checklist lists what travellers look for before they book.
Keep your prices consistent
Read your OTA agreement for any price parity clause before you set prices. Where you have freedom, consistent pricing across channels is usually the safest approach. Instead of undercutting, add value to direct bookings: a free photo package, a flexible change policy, or a small discount on a second tour for returning guests.
Get on Google Things to do
Google lets operators show prices and booking links in Search and Maps. Google describes free listings for tours and activities and encourages smaller operators to connect through a connectivity partner. A free listing linking to your own checkout is one of the most direct ways to capture travellers who are already searching for what you sell.
Look after OTA guests on the day
Within the limits of your OTA agreement (some restrict soliciting guests away from the platform), give every guest a great experience, ask for reviews on Google, and make your business name memorable. Next time, they may search for you rather than the platform.
Use resellers on your own terms
Hotels, hostels and local agents can sell your tours at commission rates you set, often far lower than OTA rates. A booking system with reseller accounts lets each partner book against live availability.
A sensible channel mix
There is no correct ratio, but a few principles help:
- Track bookings by channel every month, including commission paid.
- Calculate your net revenue per booking by channel, not just gross.
- Set a goal for the share of direct bookings and review it each season.
- Keep OTAs for discovery, especially for first-time visitors and new products.
- Put effort into the channels where you keep the most per booking.
How Tourtify helps
Tourtify gives you a booking website on your own domain with no commission on bookings, payments straight to your own Stripe, PayPal or local gateway account, and Google Things to do so travellers can book you direct from Google. When you do want OTA reach, Tourtify’s channel manager connects through OCTO and resellers get their own rates, with availability shared across every channel. Plans start at $29 a month billed yearly (pricing), and there is a 30-day free trial with no card required.