Sales
External booking links
For trips you sell elsewhere (Viator, GetYourGuide, a partner or your old system): show the tour on your website and send travellers to that booking page with one button. Links get your tracking and affiliate parameters automatically, and every click is counted.
Who it's for
Why operators use External booking links
Operators who list some trips on their website but sell them through Viator, GetYourGuide, a partner or an older system.
Highlights
- The tour page shows a booking button that goes to the other site
- UTM and affiliate parameters added to every link automatically
- Every click counted
- The rest of your website keeps booking through Tourtify
Show every trip, even the ones sold elsewhere
Some trips are booked through somewhere other than your own checkout: a listing on Viator or GetYourGuide, a partner who runs the departures, or an older system you haven’t moved yet. Leaving them off your website hides part of what you do. External booking links lets those tours live on your website like any other, with photos, itinerary and reviews, while the booking button sends travellers to the other booking page.
The link is set on each tour option, and a single departure can have its own link when it is sold somewhere different. Everything else on your website keeps booking through Tourtify as before.
Tracking and affiliate parameters, added for you
Every outbound link can carry UTM parameters so the other site’s analytics shows the traffic came from you. utm_source defaults to your website’s domain, utm_medium to referral, and utm_campaign to the tour’s web address name; {option} adds the option’s name. Parameters already in a link are kept, and your own win.
You can also add affiliate parameters to every link, such as partner_id=12345&pid=abc for a partner programme. For example, a tour linked to a Viator listing goes out as that listing’s address plus your UTM tags and your partner ID, so the visit is credited to you.
Clicks counted, links marked correctly
Every click is counted per tour, so you can see which listings your website sends traffic to. Bots and repeat clicks within a minute are not counted, and the plugin page shows clicks for the last 30 days.
Links are marked rel=“sponsored nofollow” by default, which Google asks for on affiliate and paid links. You can open them in a new tab, so visitors keep your website open, and change the button text from “Check dates & book”.
Setting up External booking links
- 1Switch on External booking links. Turn the plugin on in your console.
- 2Add the booking link to a tour option. Paste the address of the other booking page on the option.
- 3Override single departures if needed. Give a departure its own link when it is sold somewhere else.
- 4Set tracking parameters. Keep UTM tags on, adjust source, medium and campaign, and add affiliate parameters.
- 5Choose the button. Set its text, whether it opens a new tab, and whether links are marked sponsored.
Settings
What you can set up
External booking links works out of the box with sensible defaults. These are the choices you can make, straight from your console.
Tracking parameters
- Add UTM parameters
- So the other site’s analytics shows the traffic came from your website. Parameters already in a link are kept.
- utm_source
- Leave blank to use your website’s domain.
- utm_medium
- utm_campaign
- {tour} becomes the tour’s web address name (e.g. everest-base-camp), {option} the option’s name.
- Affiliate parameters
- Added to every link, e.g. partner_id=12345&pid=abc (Viator, GetYourGuide and other partner programmes).
Button
- Button text
- Mark links as sponsored
- Adds rel="sponsored nofollow", which Google asks for on affiliate and paid links.
- Open in a new tab
Sales
How sales plugins fit in
Sales plugins shape what travellers see and pay at checkout: extras, group pricing, prices that follow demand and tailor-made proposals. Every rule shows clearly on the tour page and at checkout.
- 1
Switch it on
Open Plugins in your console and turn it on. No code and nothing to install.
- 2
Make your choices
Adjust the settings to match how your business works, or keep the defaults.
- 3
It works everywhere it should
Your website, checkout, emails and console pick it up straight away.
Related
More sales integrations
Part of Booking modes in Tourtify.
Discounts
Every discount in one place, shown on your website and applied at checkout. Promo codes and automatic discounts (Starter): codes and links with rules and limits, and no-code discounts for early bird, last minute, minimum spend and travel dates. Group discounts and dynamic pricing (Growth): savings for bigger groups, and prices that move with demand and season.
Add-ons & extras
Sell extras at checkout: airport transfers, gear rental, travel insurance, single-room upgrades. Priced per booking, per traveller, per night or per item, with quantity limits, shared daily stock and a question per extra (e.g. shoe size).
Booking & traveller fees
Add a fee per booking, per traveller or as a percentage, e.g. park permits or a service fee, with amounts per currency. Shown as its own line and included in advertised prices, as consumer law requires.
Waitlist
Let travellers join a waitlist for full departures. When seats free up, the next in line whose group fits gets the seats held for a few hours, then they pass to the next.
Gift vouchers
Sell or give gift vouchers with a value. Travellers enter the code at checkout and it pays like money, across as many bookings as the balance allows. Unused value comes back if a booking expires or is refunded.
Point of sale
Sell to walk-ins at the front desk, a kiosk or on the street: today’s departures and merchandise on one touch screen, split payments (cash with change, card reader, wallets, gift vouchers), cash drawers with Z-reports, printed or emailed receipts with the QR ticket, and sales that keep working offline.
FAQ
External booking links: questions
Do bookings from these links appear in Tourtify?
No. The traveller books on the other site, so the booking is made there. Tourtify counts the click.
Can one tour mix Tourtify booking and an external link?
Yes. The link is set per option and per departure, so other options can still book through your checkout.
Will my existing link parameters be overwritten?
No. Parameters already in a link are kept.
Why mark links as sponsored?
Google asks for affiliate and paid links to be marked this way. It is on by default and you can switch it off.
Which plans include External booking links?
External booking links is available on Growth & Scale, at no extra cost.
How do I switch on External booking links?
In your Tourtify console, open Plugins, find it in the list and switch it on. Its settings open straight away, and you can switch it off again at any time.
Do I need a developer?
No. Plugins are built into Tourtify and set up from the console. Where an outside account is involved, such as a payment provider, you connect it by entering your account details.
Does External booking links work with my other plugins?
Yes. Every plugin is built and maintained by Tourtify, so they work together: discounts, deposits, vouchers and fees all add up correctly at checkout.
Start selling tours direct
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