Where a tour operator’s direct bookings actually come from
Not from outranking Viator. From the hotel desk, the returning guest, and the person who saw your boat and typed the name on the hull.
Guides
The parts of running tours that catch operators out.
What the marketplaces really cost, the booking fee your guest pays without knowing, waivers, weather, and the European rules that decide whether a day trip is a package. Written for operators, not for search engines — each one is useful even if you never hire us. We are not attorneys or accountants, and every guide says where you need one.
The tax rate follows the tour, not just the country
The same operator can owe 10 % on a guided tour and 21 % on a kayak rental — and whether the guest sees tax inside the price or added at the end depends on the market.
Why the 14-day right to withdraw does not apply to your tour
European consumers can normally cancel an online purchase within 14 days. Leisure services with a fixed date are exempt, which is why your cancellation policy is yours to write.
When a day trip quietly becomes a package tour
A day trip needs no licence. Sell one alongside a hotel room without the right warning and, from 2029, it can become a package by default.
Age limits, and the rules you only enforce at the dock
Minimum age, “a child cannot come alone”, at most two infants. Every operator has these rules and most systems cannot express them.
The ten per cent of departures the weather takes
Boat trips lose 10–15 % of shoulder-season departures to weather. Cancelling one should be a click, not an afternoon on the phone.
A waiver holds up because of the trail, not the signature
Electronic signatures are valid on both sides of the Atlantic. What gets argued is whether this person saw this text before signing — a different thing to collect.
Two tours, one boat: the part generic software gets wrong
A sunset cruise and a snorkel trip can share a hull, a captain and a turnaround. Software built for hotel rooms cannot express that, and it shows on the dock.
The booking fee your guest pays, and you never see
FareHarbor and Peek cost you nothing a month. They charge your guest around 6 % at checkout instead.
What Viator actually costs, once you add it up
The headline is 20–30 %. The number an operator lives with is closer to 25 %, and higher the moment you buy visibility.
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Question that isn't answered here?
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