Tired of TripAdvisor and OTA fees, and their new pay-to-rank bidding? Go after corporate groups, where the OTAs are barely involved.
The online travel agencies keep raising the cost to compete, and now you bid even more just to show up higher. It is a losing game on their turf.
Corporate and private groups are different. OTAs are not heavily in that space yet, so you can build direct relationships with companies and cut out the middleman.
No OTA ranking on your own name, no fees skimming the money you deserve. Start going after corporate groups and build those direct relationships.
Look at the math on a public ticket. An OTA can take 20 to 30 percent of every seat it sells you. On one big group, that cut is not pocket change, it is a real slice of the day. A corporate group skips all of that. A company finds you through your own page or a direct referral, then books you straight. No middleman touches the sale, so the full margin stays with you, the operator who actually runs the tour.
It gets worse on the OTAs. Some of them bid on your own brand name in search, so you pay just to reach people already looking for you by name. Think about that. You built the reputation, and you rent your own audience back. Go direct with corporate groups and you flip it. You own the customer and their contact info, not a platform. Keep that relationship and you can reach out next year to rebook the same company, without paying anyone for the introduction twice.
Want the deeper math on it? Read what a corporate group booking is actually worth.
Frequently asked questions
How do corporate groups help me avoid OTA fees?
Companies book you directly for team events, so there is no online travel agency taking a cut or bidding against your own brand name.
Are OTAs really not in the corporate space?
They are far less established there than in individual tour sales, which is exactly the opening for operators to own direct group relationships now.
How do I win these direct bookings?
A corporate groups page that ranks in search and AI, plus direct outreach and follow-up, so companies find and book you without a middleman.
Do I have to leave the OTAs to do this?
No. Keep them for your public tours if they still work for you. Corporate groups are simply a direct channel alongside that, where a company books you straight and you keep the full margin.
Want groups to be your engine?
I build the group website and system, then run it with you. Let's map it to your tour.
Book a brainstorm callFull transcript
If you are a tour operator sick of paying TripAdvisor and OTA fees, and their new system where you bid even more to show up higher, here is how to get around it: go after corporate groups. OTAs are not as heavily involved in the corporate and company space yet. It is your chance to build relationships and work directly with companies, cutting out the OTA middleman who ranks on your name and takes the money you deserve. Start looking at more corporate groups and build those relationships.