Tour operator software provider Bókun, part of the Tripadvisor family, has revealed the results from itts recent partnership with Tour Marbella helped generate 54% of its annual bookings through the Bókun system.
As the tourism sector becomes increasingly competitive and travel trends become more dynamic, many tour operators face difficulties in differentiating themselves and sustaining year-on-year growth.
Tour Marbella, a tour operator specialising in immersive, tailored experiences around Marbella and nearby cities, partnered with Bókun to accelerate growth and scale its business. Initially a small-scale operator, Tour Marbella sought a solution to streamline operations and boost visibility in a competitive market.
By leveraging Bókun’s marketplace, Tour Marbella – initally a small-scale tour operator specialising in immersive, tailored experiences around Marbella and nearby cities – has been able to connect with multiple online travel agencies (OTAs).
The technology provider revealed that in the past 12 months, 54% of Tour Marbella’s bookings have come through OTAs and the marketplace.
The tour operator has also successfully secured seven supplier contracts to resell other tours and 16 reseller agreements to promote its offerings.
While Tour Marbella recognised the potential of generating bookings through its own website, it said the primary advantage of partnering with Bókun was the ability to expand their customer base.
Javier González Gago of Tour Marbella said: “With us being out and about with tours, it’s a difficult way to cope. So, one of our main challenges, I would say, is grabbing clients’ attention.
“Bókun saves me a lot of time. When I manage different platforms, I can do that with a few clicks. It’s as easy as that.
“So, I just open and close availability; I can change prices on all platforms. If we plan to grow, that will be helpful – we’re trying to do everything through Bókun.”
Jordan Whittington, business development manager at Bókun, said: “Tour operators can gain massively by embracing an integrated marketplace, enjoying an increase in brand exposure across various agencies, consequently driving more ticket sales and revenue.
“Competition remains a constant challenging factor in the tourism industry, so it is important for operators to continuously analyse the competition while also thinking of ways to innovate.
“This could involve exploring effective strategies such as integrating add-on services to enhance the overall customer experience or utilising multilingual capabilities to expand opportunities in additional territories.”
