Attractions Toolkit Webinar: How Online Travel Agents (OTAs) Can Grow Your Bookings

In our latest Attractions Toolkit webinar, ROLLER’s Brett Sheridan sat down with Con Clarkson from GetYourGuide to unpack how online travel agents (OTAs) can support your growth strategy, without complicating your day-to-day operations.

Built for operators who are new to OTAs (or want to get more from the channels they already use), the session tackled the questions we hear most: what OTAs actually do, how they drive incremental demand, whether they cannibalize direct bookings, and which listing fundamentals have the biggest impact on visibility and conversion.

🎥 Missed the live session? Watch the full recording here:

Meet the speakers

Brett Sheridan, Field GM at ROLLER

Brett has decades of experience owning and running attractions businesses, from founding the first OTA in the southern hemisphere, to building and operating multiple FEC, indoor skydiving, and VR venues across APAC. He also managed the iconic Luna Park on Sydney Harbor. He now helps ROLLER customers implement technology that empowers teams and elevates guest experiences.

Con Clarkson, Account Executive at GetYourGuide

Con Clarkson is an Account Executive at GetYourGuide, responsible for acquiring and onboarding new tour and activity suppliers across Australia and New Zealand. He works closely with operators to help them access global demand, optimize their listings, and grow bookings through GetYourGuide’s international marketplace.

Why OTAs are a modern growth strategy

Brett opened the session by reframing what OTAs represent in 2026. They’re no longer just a channel for large tourist attractions, they also support FECs, competitive social venues, roller rinks, and more.

At their core, OTAs act as distribution partners. They help operators reach travelers during the research phase, when people are actively deciding what to do in a destination. From the operator perspective, the model is simple: you pay commission on confirmed bookings, and in return you gain access to new audiences, built-in marketing reach, and trusted reviews that influence purchase decisions.

Incremental growth vs. cannibalization

One of the biggest concerns operators have is whether OTAs shift existing bookings away from direct channels. Con shared findings from GetYourGuide’s two-year global analysis comparing operator performance before and after joining the platform.

On average, total revenue grew 41% in the year after joining, and importantly, direct booking revenue also grew by 18%. The conclusion from GetYourGuide’s data is that OTAs tend to expand overall demand rather than replace direct sales.

This is because travelers research across multiple touchpoints. OTAs increase visibility during discovery, often creating a “billboard effect” where customers first see an attraction on an OTA and later return to book directly.

Choosing OTAs strategically

Adding more channels can unlock new audiences, but more isn’t always better. Con explained that the biggest growth lift typically happens early, when operators move from zero to a small number of OTAs and start reaching genuinely new segments.

As you add more and more OTAs, the incremental upside may flatten as audiences begin to overlap. The key takeaway is to choose platforms that bring distinct audiences and align with your growth strategy, rather than taking a scattergun approach.

3 listing fundamentals that drive results

The tactical portion of the session focused on three areas that operators can implement straight away to improve conversions: imagery, availability, and reviews.

1. Imagery

Your images are your first sales pitch. High-quality, authentic photos that show real guests enjoying the experience significantly improve click-through and conversion.

Strong hero imagery, clear representation of what’s included, and avoiding misleading stock visuals all help protect trust, which ultimately protects reviews.

2. Availability

You can’t sell what isn’t bookable.

Con highlighted how both advance bookings and last-minute demand are increasing across the platform. If availability isn’t accurate or flexible, operators miss revenue at both ends of the spectrum.

Maintaining real-time inventory through proper connectivity ensures peak times are covered, off-peak gaps can be filled strategically, and double-bookings are avoided. Brett noted how ROLLER’s native OTA integrations simplify this process by centralizing product and availability management.

3. Reviews

Reviews remain one of the most powerful conversion drivers in travel. Nine out of ten customers check reviews before booking, and even small increases in review volume can dramatically improve booking performance.

Encouraging rich reviews (with comments and photos), asking for feedback while the experience is still fresh, and responding to reviews consistently all help build trust.

On OTAs, reviews directly influence visibility and algorithm ranking, meaning they are tied directly to revenue performance. In fact, Con highlighted that a product on GetYourGuide with just 15 reviews is likely to get 10 times more bookings than a product with zero reviews.

Understanding commission and cost

Commission is often compared to “zero cost” direct bookings, but that comparison isn’t complete. Direct bookings carry hidden costs such as media spend, marketing staff, reporting, and payment processing fees.

With OTAs, operators only pay commission on materialized bookings. The more useful comparison is commission versus the true cost of acquiring a direct customer.

GetYourGuide also operates with price parity, meaning operators retain control of their pricing and brand positioning across channels.

What’s next: AI and the future of discovery

Looking ahead, Con shared how AI is reshaping how travelers discover experiences. GetYourGuide recently announced it is becoming an AI-first company, with investment focused on helping travelers plan more intuitively.

Rather than functioning solely as marketplaces, OTAs are evolving into curated, intelligent travel companions. As discovery fragments across AI tools, search, and social platforms, trusted listings, verified reviews, and strong content will become even more critical for operators.

Brett emphasized that while the technology landscape may feel complex, platforms like ROLLER and GetYourGuide are doing the heavy lifting — allowing operators to focus on delivering exceptional experiences.

Putting it into action

If you’re considering OTAs, start by evaluating your target audience, optimizing your imagery, ensuring availability is accurate, and building review momentum. Treat commission as a cost-of-sale and measure it against incremental demand rather than direct bookings alone.

Whether you’re trialing your first OTA or refining an existing channel mix, the key message from this session was clear: when managed intentionally, OTAs can be a powerful growth lever.

Want to learn how ROLLER can help your venue put these ideas into action? Book a free demo today.