Tours and Activities Race for Dominance in 6 Charts
Skift Take
Viator leads in online tours and activities, as Skift Research's new analysis shows, but being in first also puts a target on its back. Rivals are working hard to close the gap and the race is far from over.
The tours and activities space still remains fragmented and dominated by numerous small operators located in their individual destinations. Many of these operators manage their businesses and bookings manually, using pen and paper or rudimentary databases to keep track of reservations.
Aggregators have faced significant challenges in tapping into the market’s full potential, owing to the category’s lower online penetration rates and booking values. Nevertheless, the market is starting to change and online distributors now see the segment as a previously untapped source of commissions.
Similarly, for tour operators, offering a variety of booking options is important to target as many travelers as possible. Distribution via online travel agencies is likely to make that easier and result in more bookings overall.
As a part of our latest report investigating the tours and activities market, Skift Research analyzed the inventories of six major online tours and activities distribution platforms. We found that Viator leads in the online arena based on total number of listings and number of listings in the top 100 tourist destinations.
Our analysis also shows that this lead is not yet set in stone. Some sites are growing their inventory in an attempt to match Viator's scale. Yet others are building specialists platforms that offer a more curated selection of tours focused on specific region.
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