Commission and direct sales calculator

How do OTAs work?

Online travel marketplaces (OTAs) such as GetYourGuide, Viator and Klook put your tours in front of their own traffic and take a commission on every completed sale. You manage the product, calendar, capacity and price in the supplier portal; the platform collects payment from the customer and pays you the remainder, minus commission, on a regular schedule.

There is usually no upfront listing fee; the cost only appears when you sell. That makes OTAs a low-risk starting point for a new operator. But as sales grow, commission becomes one of the biggest costs in the business.

How the platforms differ

They all work on the same model, but each is strongest in a different market and traveler profile:

• GetYourGuide: Based in Berlin. Strong in Europe and in city experiences. Listing quality, reviews and availability drive its ranking.
• Viator: Owned by Tripadvisor. Your products can also appear in Tripadvisor's experiences section; especially effective for reaching North American travelers.
• Klook: Based in Hong Kong. Stands out for demand from Asian markets and travelers who book through its mobile app.
• Others: Headout and Tiqets are strong in museum and attraction tickets, Civitatis in the Spanish-speaking market.

Being on several platforms widens your reach, but you need to keep pricing, availability and content consistent across them.

What drives commission rates?

Rates vary by platform, product type, region and your contract. For tours and activities they are most often in the 20–30% range, and some platforms offer higher rates in exchange for extra visibility. Check your own rate in your supplier agreement. When you pick a platform in the calculator, a commonly seen rate fills in for GetYourGuide; on Viator suppliers choose their own rate and other platforms depend on the agreement, so you're asked to enter yours.

The pricing model matters too. On some platforms you set the retail price and commission is deducted from it; others work from a net rate. Either way, the real question is the same: what do you keep from each ticket sold?

How the calculator works

The calculation has three steps:

Example: 120 bookings a month, a €45 average ticket, 70% of sales from OTAs at 25% commission. Monthly commission is 120 × 45 × 0.70 × 0.25 = €945, or €11,340 a year. Move 15% of OTA sales to your own site and you avoid about €1,701 in commission a year.

The real value of direct sales

A booking from your own site carries no commission; more importantly, the customer's email and contact details stay with you. You can sell to them again, ask for a review and reach them directly next season.

Direct sales have costs of their own: a website, booking and payment infrastructure, ads and SEO. Weigh the saving in the calculator against those costs.

The goal isn't to leave OTAs

OTAs are the fastest way to reach new travelers and are essential for most operators. What's healthy is not depending on a single channel: strong OTA listings alongside a website that takes bookings.

At Monotim we manage your OTA accounts and grow your direct channel at the same time.