Most tours and activities OTAs take between 20% and 35% of the retail price per booking. Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook, Musement and Headout all negotiate rates by destination, category and volume, while Airbnb charges experience hosts a typical 20%. Accommodation OTAs usually sit lower, at roughly 15% to 25%. Google Things to Do free booking links charge no commission at all.
OTA commission rates for tours and activities
None of the big experience marketplaces publish a single rate card. The figures below come from the platforms' own supplier pages where they exist, then trade press and booking-software guides. Treat them as typical ranges. Your contract is the only number that counts.
| Platform | Typical commission | How it's charged | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ViatorTripadvisor | 20–30%25% most commonly reported | Percentage of retail price, deducted per booking | Varies by product type and location. Optional Accelerate placement raises it. $29 per new product listing. One operator quoted a 27% base rate.Sources: SambaHQ, Rezdy, Arival, Bókun |
| GetYourGuide | 20–35% | Percentage per fulfilled booking, netted from payouts | Rate depends on country and is shared after sign-up. Some operators moved from 20% to 30% in July 2025.Sources: GetYourGuide, Magpie, Arival |
| Klook | 15–35% | Percentage per booking, negotiated | Depends on market, product type and volume.Sources: Bókun, Magpie |
| Airbnb Experiences | Typically 20% | Service fee on experience reservations | Airbnb's own figure. Airbnb Services are typically 15%.Source: Airbnb Help Centre |
| MusementTUI | 15–35% | Percentage or fixed amount per booking, agreed with TUI | Supplier proposes a rate, TUI approves or negotiates.Sources: Bókun, Magpie |
| Headout | 20–30% | Percentage per booking, negotiated at onboarding | No set rate.Sources: Bókun, Magpie |
| Tiqets | Not published | Commission on sales only, no upfront or monthly fees | Rate agreed with Tiqets.Source: Tiqets venue FAQs |
| Google Things to Do | 0% on free booking links | No commission. Paid ads are separate | Needs eligible products, usually a connectivity partner, and matching prices.Sources: Arival, Google |
OTA commission rates for accommodation
Hotels, hostels and holiday lets pay a different set of OTAs. These rates also move with country, property type and visibility programmes.
| Platform | Typical commission | How it's charged | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booking.com | About 15% average10–25% range | Percentage of total booking, invoiced monthly after checkout | Preferred Partner and Visibility Booster add to the rate.Sources: Booking.com Partner Help, Guesty |
| Expedia | 15–25% | Percentage per booking, set by contract | Accelerator lets properties pay a higher rate for better sort position.Sources: Zeevou, Expedia via Hospitality Net |
| Airbnbhomes | Mostly 15.5% host-only fee | Single fee deducted from host payout | Remaining hosts typically pay 14–16%. The older split fee (3% host plus 14.1–16.5% guest) is being phased out.Source: Airbnb Help Centre |
| Agoda | 15–20% for hotels | Percentage of the reference sell rate | Some guides quote up to 25% for other property types.Source: RoomMaster |
| Hostelworld | 15% base | Percentage per booking | Effective rate reached 16.3% in Q3 2025, mainly due to the Elevate programme.Sources: Hostel Management, Hostelworld trading statement |
How much commission does Viator charge?
Viator charges a commission on every booking, set by destination and product category rather than one global rate. Operator reports compiled by SambaHQ put it at 20% to 30%, with 25% the most common figure, and one operator quoted in trade press described a 27% base. Paying more through Viator's Accelerate programme lifts placement in search results, and each new product costs $29 to submit.
Viator pays out monthly by bank transfer or weekly by PayPal, based on trips already travelled (source: Viator Partner Resources). Accelerate was covered by Skift as a way for operators to spend more for better placement.
The bigger 2026 change is pricing control. Skift reported in August 2026 that Viator's updated operator agreement gives Viator and its channel partners, such as Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb, control over the final retail price. Operators still supply net and recommended retail rates. What this means for your business depends on your own agreement, so read it or ask your account manager.
If you are weighing Viator against paid search, run the numbers on Viator commission vs Google Ads break-even before shifting budget.
How much does GetYourGuide charge tour operators?
GetYourGuide charges commission only on successful bookings, with no fee to list or maintain an activity. Its own supplier page says the rate depends on your country of operation and is shared after sign-up. Independent guides put it at 20% to 35%, and some operators were moved from 20% to 30% in July 2025.
That July 2025 increase, reported by Arival, applied to a limited number of suppliers. Several operators disputed it and kept their old rate. Payout timing also affects cost. Monthly payouts are free, while twice-monthly payouts carry a surcharge that Magpie puts at 2%.
Unlike Viator under its new terms, GetYourGuide suppliers set their own retail prices, according to the same Skift report.
What do you actually pay on a booking?
Multiply the retail price by your commission rate. A £120 tour sold at 25% commission costs £30 and leaves you £90 before payment, staffing and operating costs. Small rate changes matter at volume: five points of commission on 500 bookings is £3,000 a season.
The table below is illustrative only. It uses a £120 tour and 500 OTA bookings in a season.
| Commission rate | Split of a £120 booking | Commission per booking | You receive per booking | Commission on 500 bookings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% | £24 | £96 | £12,000 | |
| 25%Most common Viator rate | £30 | £90 | £15,000 | |
| 30% | £36 | £84 | £18,000 | |
| +£3,000 in commission for every 5 extra points across 500 bookings | ||||
That commission line belongs in your tour operator marketing budget. It is a customer acquisition cost, even though it never shows up as an ad invoice.
What costs sit on top of commission?
The headline rate is rarely the full cost. Paid placement programmes, payment processing, faster payouts, listing fees and commission on cancelled bookings can all add to it. Check each platform's terms for the items below, because they change the real percentage you give away on every sale.
- Promoted placement. Viator Accelerate, Booking.com Preferred Partner and Visibility Booster, Expedia Accelerator and Hostelworld Elevate all trade a higher rate for better ranking. Booking.com says a reservation statement showing a higher rate than your contract may mean you are in one of these programmes (source: Booking.com).
- Payment processing. Payments by Booking.com adds 1.1% to 3.1% depending on region (source: Guesty).
- Payout speed. GetYourGuide's twice-monthly payout option carries a surcharge.
- Listing fees. Viator charges $29 per new product submitted (source: Bókun).
- Cancellations and no-shows. Booking.com charges commission on non-refundable bookings and on any cancellation or no-show fee you collect.
- Tax. Booking.com states that in most countries commission is charged on VAT or GST, depending on local rules. Ask your accountant how this applies to you.
Is Google Things to Do really free?
Yes, for free booking links. Google charges no commission when a traveller clicks through and books on your site. You still need eligible products, usually a connectivity partner such as your booking system, and prices that match your booking page. Placement is not guaranteed, and OTAs often compete for the same listings.
Google recommends that tour operators connect through an approved connectivity partner rather than integrate directly (source: Google Actions Center). Partners may charge per click, per product or per month, according to Arival. Google's price policy says the price on your booking page should match the price shown on Google, and inaccuracies hurt placement. Paid Things to Do ads are a separate product with their own costs.
How do you lower the share of bookings that pay commission?
You lower it by winning more bookings directly. That means a fast booking page, prices that match across channels, Google Things to Do links, branded search ads, and email to past guests. Each direct booking saves the full commission, so even a small shift adds up across a season.
We cover the tactics step by step in how to reduce OTA commission. Paid search is part of the mix, and our guide to Google Ads for tour operators explains how to set it up so you can measure cost per booking against what an OTA would charge.
When is paying OTA commission worth it?
Commission is worth paying when the OTA brings a guest you would not have reached yourself, at a cost below your other channels. New products, new markets, quiet dates and last-minute inventory are the usual cases. It is poor value when it replaces bookings you would have won directly.
The hard part is telling those two apart. If your website, ads and OTA bookings are not tracked cleanly, you cannot compare cost per booking across channels. Fix tracking first, then decide which channels deserve more of your inventory.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical OTA commission rate?
For tours and activities, most OTAs take 20% to 35% of the retail price, with Viator, GetYourGuide, Klook, Musement and Headout all inside that band. Airbnb typically charges experience hosts 20%. For accommodation, Booking.com averages about 15%, Expedia sits around 15% to 25%, and Airbnb's host-only fee is mostly 15.5%.
Can you negotiate OTA commission?
Often, yes. Supplier guides for Klook, Headout and Musement describe rates agreed at onboarding, and GetYourGuide shares your rate after sign-up. Some operators reversed GetYourGuide's 2025 increase by raising it with support. Volume, product quality and exclusivity strengthen your position. Check your own agreement, and talk to your account manager before you accept a new rate.
Is OTA commission charged on the full price?
Usually, yes. Most experience OTAs calculate commission on the retail price the traveller pays. Booking.com charges on the room rate plus extra fees such as cleaning, and on cancellation or no-show fees you collect, but not on local taxes such as city tax. Your contract sets the exact basis, so check it for each platform.
Which OTA has the lowest commission for tour operators?
Google Things to Do charges no commission on free booking links, which send travellers to your own booking page. Among commission-based marketplaces, published ranges overlap heavily, so the lowest rate depends on your destination, category and negotiation. Compare total cost per booking, including promoted placement and payout fees, rather than the headline rate alone.
Find out what your OTA bookings really cost
You can only judge an OTA's commission against what your own channels cost per booking, and most tour operators cannot see that clearly. Our free booking-tracking audit checks whether your website, Google Ads and booking system record every sale correctly, so you can compare OTA commission with your direct cost per booking and move inventory where it earns most.
