How to Reduce Viator Commissions
Drive Direct Bookings for Your Tour Businessreduce viator commissions
Every Australian tour operator knows the feeling: you see a new booking notification, only to realise that after the 25% to 30% Viator commission, your profit margin has almost vanished.
While Online Travel Agents (OTAs) are a powerful tool for reach, they shouldn’t own your business. With over 15 years in the coach and private charter industry, I’ve learned that the secret isn’t leaving Viator—it’s optimising your digital ecosystem so you aren’t dependent on them.
In this guide, I’m sharing the exact strategies I use to shift the power back to the operator, reduce OTA dependency, and turn your website into a high-conversion booking engine.
1. Master the Viator “Quality Score” to Stop Paying for Visibility
Most operators think the only way to get more bookings on Viator is to “Accelerate” their listings by paying an extra 5%–10% commission. Don’t do it.
Viator rewards high-quality listings. By adhering to the official Viator Product Standards—providing high-resolution images of your Mercedes V-Class, writing unique descriptions, and maintaining a low cancellation rate—you can rank higher naturally. A higher organic rank means more eyes on your tour without the “accelerated” commission tax.
2. Use “Website-Only” Extras to Capture Direct Leads
You can’t underprice Viator on your own site due to parity clauses, but you can offer more value. Use your website to highlight “Direct Booking Perks” that Viator customers don’t get. Whether it’s a complimentary bottle of water, a specific luxury pickup location, or a flexible cancellation window, make it clear that the best version of your tour is found at drumroll.au.
Modern booking software like Rezdy allows you to easily add these “internal-only” extras to your checkout flow, giving customers a real reason to book with you directly.
3. Outrank the OTA in the Google Map Pack
When someone searches for “Private Tours Sydney,” Viator often spends thousands of dollars to show up in the sponsored ads at the top. However, they cannot beat a well-optimised Google Business Profile in the Local Map Pack.
By keeping your profile active with fresh photos and reviews, you capture the customer before they ever click a Viator link. When they click “Website” from your Google profile, you keep 100% of that booking fee.
Ready to Stop the Commission Drain?
Optimising your digital presence is a full-time job, and you’ve got a tour business to run. As an active operator with 18 years of technical development experience, I don’t just give advice—I build the systems that work.
Contact Drumroll Please today for a Digital Performance Audit and let’s start keeping your revenue where it belongs: in your pocket.
Let's Talk Strategy
Use the form below to tell us a bit about your tour business and what you're looking to achieve. We'll review your details and get back to you shortly to discuss how we can grow your direct bookings. Your information is kept strictly confidential.
Prefer to speak with a fellow operator directly? Give us a call on 0407 251 296.