An In-Depth Guide on The Best Places to List Your Tours (2024)

It doesn’t matter whether you’re just starting out in the tourism industry or have an established brand — visibility is everything. After all, potential customers can’t book what they can’t find.

Being visible is one thing, but being seen by the right people takes a bit of finesse. This presents a challenge. Where and how is your target audience going to find your service?

Two great options are pursuing SEO and a content marketing strategy or investing in paid advertising (PPC). While these deliver fantastic long-term results (when done right), promoting your tours and experiences through online tour booking sites gets you a foot in the door from day one.

The good news? There are many such sites to choose from, some better than others. So, keep reading as we dive into the best places for you to list your tours with pros, cons, and neat insights to help you choose.

The Top 10 Online Tour Listing Sites

Setting out to narrow down the top online tour booking websites is definitely not as easy as it seems. It’s also not impossible, and below is a quick comparison table. Keep reading for a full breakdown of each top 10 entry.

GetYourGuide

Kicking things off is GetYourGuide (GYG). To anyone unfamiliar with this OTA, it launched in 2009, and with such longevity in the industry, its popularity isn’t surprising. Since its creation, it has become one of the fastest-growing OTAs specialising in tours and activities.

With an average of 23.39 million visits in May 2024, the platform contains an estimated 140,000 experiences across more than 10,000 destinations worldwide. Its library includes tour packages, attraction tickets, city cards, and multi-day tours.

GYG also features an impressive user experience, ensuring customers can quickly turn their travel inspiration into actual tour bookings. Another highlight is the platform’s stunning and highly functioning smartphone apps, making it a breeze to list tours on multiple devices.

GetYourGuide is also a commission-only platform. They can only make money when you get bookings, meaning they’re willing to go the extra mile.

Final Verdict: GetYourGuide is an excellent choice if you want to impress with an outstanding user experience.

Viator (TripAdvisor Experiences)

Viator, the 90s answer to GetYourGuide and a pioneering OTA that continues to stun travellers with unique activities, definitely earns its spot on this list. Having been around since 1995, the site was purchased by TripAdvisor in 2014.

What’s great about this is that by listing on one, you’re automatically listed on the other, increasing the exposure of your travel experiences. As of May 2024, the site averaged roughly 23 million visits, and Viator’s library has more than 300,000 tour options.

But why partner up with Viator? Alongside their TripAdvisor integration, partnering up with the industry giant has excellent potential for high search engine rankings. Their recipe for success is pairing user-generated content from TripAdvisor and Viator reviews with their long online history and brand identity.

It’s worth mentioning that Viator also runs exceptionally successful ad campaigns on Google, Bing, and Facebook. These campaigns can supplement your online traffic and direct bookings outside the site.

Final Verdict: If you want easy exposure access on TripAdvisor, choose Viator.

Expedia Local Expert

Expedia is no stranger to online bookings, especially for flights and hotels, but in 2014, the brand launched Expedia Local Expert. Joining an expanding list of travel agencies broadening their offerings, the site now lists thousands of tour options.

Although Expedia’s Local Expert wing is relatively new, your guided tours, seasonal discounts, and exclusive deals will also be listed on Expedia’s other websites, including platforms like Orbitz, Travelocity, and AirAsiaGo.

For small-scale tour operators, this is the gift that keeps on giving. Expedia’s brand identity is one of the most admired in the US and internationally, so your trips, tours, and activities are marketed to an extremely loyal fan base.

Another benefit of its customer base is its potential for email marketing success. With an estimated 23 million email subscribers, their targeted email campaigns can boost your visibility.

Final Verdict: Expedia Local Expert is an ideal choice if you’re looking to gain exposure to the US market.

Musement

Next up is Musement. This niche platform started out in 2013 in Milan, and while it still dominates destination experiences in Italy, the company has been rapidly expanding into other markets across Europe and the US.

One of Musement’s standout features is how the platform allows you to have full control over your listings. Should you list in any of their 100 covered countries, you can easily edit and add tours, change prices, and include your best deals.

Musement also has an intuitive booking platform that allows for dynamic pricing and flexible cancellation policies. When you sign up with Musement, you’ll have access to their fantastic supplier support, which allows them to tailor your partnership to be a more personal experience.

Small businesses will love Musement for booking control as well due to its capability to handle both online and offline communication with customers. This frees up time you could use elsewhere.

Final Verdict: Choose Musement if you want to enter the European market without burdening your customer support capabilities.

WithLocals

If you’re interested in bringing your travel experiences to Europe and Asia, or you’re a fresh-faced startup, then WithLocals is an excellent choice. Their model is based on showcasing unique excursions alongside locals worldwide.

Aiming to connect travellers with a local tour guide in cities around the world, WithLocals started in 2013 and continues to expose tourists to new cultural activities. What’s excellent about WithLocals is that they cater to established travel websites and freelancers.

Signing up with them is also hassle-free, and listing your tours won’t cost anything. However, potential customers pay a small fee per booking.

Final Verdict: WithLocals is perfect if you want exposure to European and Asian markets.

Thrillophilia

Easily ranking among the most awarded and farthest-reaching, Thrillophilia is one of the best platforms for easy exposure to millions of travellers. Founded in 2011, it quickly became one of India’s most beloved booking websites.

Fast forward to 2023, when the brand ventured into the multi-day tour market, adding these tour options to its already impressive 12,500 activity library. Spanning more than 125 destinations, Thrillophilia offers an extensive range of tour varieties with an easy booking service.

Behind the scenes, though, is where Thrillophilia outshines other popular OTAs. After signing up with them, you gain access to their sales support team, extensive analytics, and helpful data metrics.

In addition, Thrillophilia only charges a commission on successful bookings, and listing your tours, discounts, and exclusive deals is free.

Final Verdict: Thrillophilia is one of the best online tour companies if you’re focused on expanding your categories and offerings.

Manawa

Where most tour operators gear themselves to offering varied tour options, Manawa takes things up a notch. Focused on outdoor activities, this is where people come when they want to head out, and if that fits your niche, then you’re in the right place.

Manawa started in 2016, making it relatively new to the industry. In a short span of time, it has grown to a network that includes partnerships with 2,500 tour operators. Operating more than 7,000 activities across 59 countries, it’s the perfect home for your tours.

Working with Manawa opens up a world of services available on their website. These range from their support team to their booking and reservation management systems. A standout here is your ability to manage reservations on their portal directly.

Final Verdict: Tour companies specializing in outdoor activities are an ideal match for Manawa.

Klook

Based in Hong Kong, Klook has been dominating the specialised tour and activity market in East Asia since its foundation in 2014. The company has been expanding globally for a long time, and now it’s pretty hard to find somewhere they don’t cover.

This is excellent news for tour operators of any size because it makes targeted audiences in Europe and the US much more accessible. Their Asian roots are evident, though, and for local tour operators, their service teams showcase excellent market knowledge.

This knowledge isn’t restricted to Asia, and no matter where you’re based, their support teams are available 24/7. Klook also offers both a consumer and partner app, the latter of which you can use to keep track of bookings and trips on the go.

It’s also worth mentioning that Klook is one of the strongest brands in the industry, and its investors include Goldman Sachs, among others.

Final Verdict: Klook is an excellent choice if you want to expand into the Asian market without breaking the bank.

Ceetiz

Next up is another new kid on the block that’s been gaining a lot of traction in recent years. Ceetiz started out in 2012, rising in popularity in its home market in France. While other sites do include a wide range of tours and activities, none of them do it like Ceetiz.

With more than 350 destinations worldwide, Ceetiz’s platform allows you to list an incredibly varied range of tours. What makes Ceetiz distinct is its commitment to providing the most unique excursions, making it an excellent fit for high-niche tour operators.

A bonus that is more geared towards your customers is the Ceetiz website itself. It’s very user-friendly, and users can quickly navigate between tour options, booking dates, and checkout in a matter of minutes.

Registration on their site is free and seamless, and listing your tours also costs nothing.

Final Verdict: Choose Ceetiz if you’re ready to expand globally while offering niche tours.

Airbnb Experiences

Last but certainly not least is Airbnb Experiences. Combining accommodation booking with tour selection and reservations is an absolute genius move, and Airbnb is taking full advantage of this.

By integrating the capability to book tours, activities, excursions, and more into its already existing platform, Airbnb has created an ideal space for tour operators to gain exposure. Branding this feature, their “experiences” add on your potential customers can effortlessly plan much of their itinerary in one app.

With over 75 million visitors every month, there’s no denying the potential for exposure when partnering with the industry giant. It is free to list your tours on the platform as long as they meet Airbnb standards.

Keep in mind that Airbnb does charge a 20% service fee for anything that is booked on their site, whether it is accommodation or tours.

Final Verdict: Airbnb Experiences is a great all-rounder for both accommodation and tour if you’re okay with the 20% service fees.

Frequently Asked Questions | Where to List Your Tours & Online Travel Agencies

With the top 10 list out of the way, you might be left with some questions. Below are some of the most popular out there with answers.

Which Tour Agency Is Best for South Africa?

This all depends on what type of tour you’re looking for or promoting. While the entries in this list are a great place to begin, consider options like CapeXtreme or TheMzanziExperience for exposure to local markets.

How Do I Market My Tour Company?

Aside from the initial first steps such as setting up a business profile online through Google, for example, there are numerous strategies to help promote your company. Alongside listing on popular OTAs, invest in a high-quality travel website dedicated to your tours.

Find out more. Check out how we can help you get ahead of travel SEO.

Grow Your Tour Business Through Advertising & Selling | Wrapped Up

There you have it, folks. This roundup of the 10 top listing platforms for your tours and experiences gives you everything you need to get started promoting today. With the world engaging with online tour booking like never before, take advantage of the digital trends shaping the industry now.

P.S. If you’re in the process of setting up your own website, get in touch with us today to find out how we can help with your website design.