Sales
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.
Who it's for
Why operators use Waitlist
Operators whose popular departures sell out and who don't want to lose those travellers to a competitor.
Highlights
- Travellers join the waitlist of a full departure in a few seconds
- When seats free up, the next people in line whose group fits get them held for a few hours
- Unclaimed seats pass to the next in line automatically
- The list for each departure in your console
Sold out does not mean lost
Popular departures sell out, then a few seats come back: a cancellation, a checkout that was never paid, extra capacity you added, a date you reopened. Without a waitlist, those seats only sell if the right person happens to look again. With the Waitlist plugin, travellers who found the departure full leave their name, email and group size in a few seconds, and the seats go to them when they free up.
Each departure has its own list in your console, in order of joining. Your team can move someone to the front or offer seats to a specific group directly, as long as the seats are free and the group fits. The plugin is available from the Growth plan.
How offers work
By default, freed seats are held for the next people in line whose group fits. Holding means the seats are taken off sale, so nobody else can book them while the offer is open. The traveller gets an email with a claim link that skips the queue, and the hold lasts 12 hours by default (between 1 and 72). If they don't book in time, the offer lapses and the seats go to the next in line, automatically.
“Whose group fits” matters. Say two seats come back on a 12-seat departure. The first group in line wants four, the second wants two. The group of four is skipped for now, keeping its place, and the group of two gets the offer. If two more seats free up later, the group of four is offered next.
The alternative is broadcast mode: everyone who fits is emailed and the first to book gets the seats. It fills seats faster but is less fair, since nobody's turn is protected. The settings recommend holding for that reason.
Staying in control
If you'd rather decide yourself, turn off automatic offers. Freed seats then stay on sale and your team chooses who to offer from the Waitlist page. You can also withdraw an open offer, which ends that group's turn and moves the seats on.
When someone on the list books, their entry is marked as booked. Travellers get a “You're on the waitlist” email when they join, which you can switch off. Waitlist offers are also recorded as events, so they can go out on WhatsApp or to your webhooks when those plugins are on.
Setting up Waitlist
- 1Turn on Waitlist. Switch the plugin on from Plugins (Growth plan and above). Full departures then offer a waitlist sign-up.
- 2Choose how offers work. Hold the seats for the next in line, or email everyone who fits and let the first to book have them.
- 3Set the hold time. Pick how many hours a held offer stays open before passing to the next in line.
- 4Decide on automatic offers. Leave them on, or switch them off and choose who to offer from the Waitlist page.
- 5Check the sign-up email. Keep or turn off the email confirming someone joined the list.
Settings
What you can set up
Waitlist works out of the box with sensible defaults. These are the choices you can make, straight from your console.
When seats free up
- Offer freed seats automatically
- After a cancellation, an unpaid checkout, or when you add seats or reopen a date. Off: you choose who to offer from the Waitlist page.
- How offers work
- Holding is fairer: nobody else can take the seats while the offer is open.
- Hold the seats for the next in lineEmail everyone who fits; first to book gets them
- Hold seats for (hours)
- If they don’t book in time, the offer lapses and the seats go to the next in line.
Emails
- Confirm sign-ups by email
- Travellers get a “You’re on the waitlist” email when they join.
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 Departures & availability 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.
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.
Rentals, passes & memberships
Rent bikes, kayaks and gear by the hour or day from shared stock, with add-ons, security deposits held on the card, and check-out / check-in with photos. Sell passes and punch cards used across tours, and monthly or annual memberships with member prices, free entries and early booking.
FAQ
Waitlist: questions
What frees seats for the waitlist?
A cancellation, a checkout that expires unpaid, capacity you add, or a date you reopen.
Can someone else book seats that are being offered?
Not in hold mode. The seats are held for the group with the offer until it is claimed or lapses.
Can I offer seats to a particular traveller first?
Yes. From the Waitlist page your team can offer seats to one entry ahead of the line, if the seats are free and the group fits.
Which plans include Waitlist?
Waitlist is available on Growth & Scale, at no extra cost.
How do I switch on Waitlist?
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 Waitlist 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.
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