Some travelers plan their entire itinerary before departing on a trip, whereas others prefer to discover local activities and book once there. According to Phocuswright, 38% of tour and activity bookings are made in-destination — either the same day or up to two days before the activity.
This type of traveler often relies on Visitor Bureaus or hotel concierges because they favour in-person interactions. By engaging with staff dedicated to helping tourists, they receive current information about the destination while having all questions answered. It’s a one-stop shop where the traveler uses the assistance provided to find and book activities best suited for their holiday.
So it’s essential for your tour business to target in-destination travelers because otherwise, you could miss out on a significant amount of sales. By distributing your attractions and tours with Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs), Visitor Bureaus (CVBs) and hotels, you’ll reach more customers.
But how do you get these in-destination partners to recommend your offerings to travelers?
Become an activity provider with OnceThere and Checkfront
Based in Austin, Texas, OnceThere has over 300 markets in North America that promote over 10,000 activities — making it a solution for tour and activity operators who want to list on local distribution channels.
The platform supports in-destination experiences by distributing bookable items on the website and app of DMOs and hotels, as well as on-premise with concierge and visitor agents. It’s a setup that allows for the convenience of online bookings while focusing on meaningful interactions between agents and travelers.
Today, we’re excited to announce that OnceThere now integrates with Checkfront. As an activity provider with OnceThere, you’ll increase bookings by getting your tours, activities and rentals in front of more travelers. And when in-destination bookings are made, Checkfront will automatically update your reservations and inventory.
Currently, OnceThere is only available in the following locations across North America:
- Vegas
- Orlando
- Austin
- Boston
- Calgary
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Ft Lauderdale
- Gulf Shores/Mobile
- Orange County
- Providence
- Richmond VA
- San Diego
- Tampa/St Petersburg
- Maine (entire state)
- Kansas (entire state)
If your tour business is located in any of the above and you’re interested in connecting OnceThere with your Checkfront account, you can set it up with the help of OnceThere’s onboarding team.
Once you do, you’ll have access to thousands of new customers thanks to the continued popularity of in-destination booking — both online and offline — amongst travelers.
How to become a OnceThere activity provider
If you already have a Checkfront account, you can simply start your OnceThere application.
If you don’t have a Checkfront account, sign up for your free 21 day trial. Once you have your inventory set up, contact OnceThere with the above links.
Start your free 21-day trial!
Online bookings. Flexible pricing. Outstanding support.
