Tours and activities specialist GetYourGuide is taking a stand against reduced independence of bookings platforms in the sector with a new Preferred Partner programme. The Berlin-based booking platform supplier announced leading reservation systems: Sydney-based Rezdy and Berlin-based bookingkit as its first partners. GetYourGuide said it will collaborate more closely with Rezdy and bookingkit “to develop … Continue reading GetYourGuide fights back against OTAs with preferred partner programme
GetYourGuide fights back against OTAs with preferred partner programme
Tours and activities specialist GetYourGuide is taking a stand against reduced independence of bookings platforms in the sector with a new Preferred Partner programme.
The Berlin-based booking platform supplier announced leading reservation systems: Sydney-based Rezdy and Berlin-based bookingkit as its first partners.
GetYourGuide said it will collaborate more closely with Rezdy and bookingkit “to develop new features, find solutions for known industry pain points and troubleshoot quickly to improve connectivity quality across the tours and activities supply ecosystem”.
Tao Tao, co-founder and COO of GetYourGuide, said: “We believe our industry needs strong, independent reservation systems that are fully aligned with the interests of both tour operators and customers.
“Rather than follow the industry trend of acquiring a reservation system–which would compromise independence and stifle competition–we’ve chosen to collaborate with multiple technology companies, reaping the benefits of partnership without risks to privacy.”
GetYourGuide said it selected Rezdy and bookingkit based on “best-in-class technology, exceptional customer service, regional distribution and potential to scale”.
The firm will work with Preferred Partners on exclusive benefits to tour and activity providers including dedicated onboarding assistance to drive up conversions, faster innovations, and exclusive pricing packages for suppliers.
Incentives will be made available to first-time adopters as well as operators switching from other reservation systems.
Rezdy chief executive Chris Atkin said: “Rezdy has been fiercely independent for over seven years now.
“In that time, our sole focus has been on empowering tours and activities professionals around the world to work smarter and scale their business, whether through our booking software or our extensive distribution capabilities.
“Naturally we are delighted for the opportunity to partner with like-minded, customer-focused businesses such as GetYourGuide to drive continual innovation across the industry and in doing so improve the experience for operators everywhere.”
Christoph Kruse, chief executive of bookingkit, added: “In tourism’s fastest growing market segment, it is crucial that tours and activities operators have a strong digital infrastructure which can constantly adapt, and we at bookingkit believe that requires a system that is not dependent on any one distribution partner.
“The breadth and depth of our collaboration with GetYourGuide will set a new standard for the industry, and bring the power of bookingkit’s solution to even more businesses in the tours and activities space.”