Viator, the company that created a one-stop shop for excursions and day tours at destinations around the world, continues to enhance its offerings, especially in making the ability to book a tour easier.
Scott McNeely, vice president of product, said that “we are working with the ARC MarketPlace, AAA and international agency networks with commissionable tours that agents can book.”
The 16-year-old company offers 9,000 tours and activities at 750 destinations, including some special excursions such as an opportunity to bypass summer queues at the Vatican in Rome and have an after-hours private tour with art historian who describes the art of the Sistine Chapel. “In Rome, we work with a couple of different suppliers to get premium access. We do all the work for agents to identify suppliers around the world for this kind of exclusive access.”
Most of the Viator offerings are half- and full-day tours in major cities. Almost all are commissionable.
McNeely said his company is seeing growth despite the economic downturn. “We’ve been growing at a significant clip the last four to five years. People might be traveling less, but they are still traveling, and when they do, they want to do something interesting and unique. They might skimp on airfare on hotels but not on what they do when they are there.”
Viator “invested heavily” in reservation technology allows real-time bookings with suppliers. “Ninety percent of our tours are bookable within 48 hours of travel, and 60% are bookable within 24 hours,” he said.
The company also recently released a Viator Tours and Activities App for iPhone and the Viator Ultimate Experience Guide for iPad that allows travelers to book their tours from their iPhones and iPads. Included in the iPhone app are geo-coded maps that show which attractions and tours are closest to a traveler’s location; reviews and photos of the tours; and paperless e-vouchers that tour operators accept so that travelers can book, buy and check in to their tour using their iPhone.