How Tour Operators Actually Sell Experiences — And Why Much of the Industry Gets It Wrong
How operators structure their products, how tour operators sell them within travel itineraries, and what experience APIs should learn from hotel APIs - Understanding the structural differences between B2C OTA connectivity and B2B travel distribution
The tours, activities and attractions sector has become one of the most dynamic segments of the travel industry. Over the last decade, experiences have moved from being a secondary element of a trip to becoming one of the main reasons people travel.
Technology has played a major role in this shift. Online platforms have made it easier than ever for travelers to discover and book activities, while reservation systems have helped suppliers digitize their inventory and distribute it globally.
But behind the visible growth of consumer platforms lies another part of the ecosystem that is equally important and often less discussed: B2B distribution.
Travel agencies, traditional tour operators, DMCs, wholesalers and dynamic packaging platforms sell millions of tours and activities every year as part of larger travel itineraries. Their market share is estimated at 11% for 2025 (source : The Outlook for Travel Experiences 2019–2029 from Arival and PhocusWright), meaning $37 billion, with a 10% growth rate YoY
This part of the ecosystem is particularly relevant for large-scale travel distributors — including major tour operators such as Dertour, Avoris, W2M or MTS — whose systems must handle complex itineraries, high booking volumes and strict operational requirements. These bookings may not always attract the same attention as consumer-facing OTAs, but they represent a significant and stable share of the overall market.
Many of the APIs used today to distribute tours and activities were originally designed with B2C marketplaces in mind. And while these APIs work well for consumer discovery and booking flows, they do not always match the operational logic of B2B travel distribution. At the same time, many experiences operators have not structured their product configurations with B2B distribution in mind, often focusing primarily on how their products appear in consumer marketplaces rather than on how they will be integrated and sold within professional travel distribution systems.
As a result, the industry often tries to solve B2B distribution challenges using tools designed for a completely different environment.
The consequences are visible every day: complex integrations, confusing product catalogues, unclear pricing structures and inefficient booking workflows.
To unlock the full growth potential of the experiences sector, it is important to recognize a simple reality: B2B distribution requires a different kind of API.
B2C and B2B: Two very different sales environments
At first glance, selling an experience might seem like a simple transaction. But the context in which that transaction happens fundamentally changes the requirements of the technology behind it.
Understanding these differences is essential when designing distribution infrastructure for the tours and activities sector.
1. How the search process begins
In most consumer-facing OTAs, product discovery starts with a very simple logic: destination plus keywords.
A traveler might search for something like:
“Rome Colosseum tickets”
The platform then displays a list of products related to that search.
These results may include different variations of the same attraction:
- skip-the-line tickets
- guided tours
- small-group experiences
- private visits
- early access options
The objective in this environment is exploration. The traveler wants to compare alternatives before deciding.
In B2B environments, the starting point is usually different. Search often begins with a destination and the composition of the travel group.
For example:
Destination: Rome
Adults: 2
Children: 1 (age 8)
This logic closely resembles the way hotel searches work.
The system needs to know the composition of the group in order to determine:
- which rates apply
- whether the activity is available
- how the final price should be calculated
Instead of simply returning products that match a keyword, the API must immediately validate whether a product can accommodate that specific group configuration.
This means availability and pricing logic need to be applied much earlier in the search process.
2. Standalone purchase vs packaged travel
Another key difference between B2C and B2B environments lies in the role that experiences play in the booking process.
In most consumer platforms, an activity is often the main product being purchased.
The traveler is browsing experiences as the central element of the decision-making process.
But in B2B environments, experiences are frequently just one component of a larger travel package. This is particularly true for large tour operators and packaging platforms that assemble thousands of travel packages every day, combining flights, accommodation and experiences within a single booking flow.
That package may already include:
- flights
- accommodation
- transfers
- insurance
The activity needs to fit smoothly into the itinerary.
In this context, the seller — typically a travel agent, a tour operator system or a dynamic packaging engine — is not looking for dozens of similar options to explore.
They need:
- clear choices
- reliable availability
- quick booking flows
Efficiency becomes much more important than discovery.
Too many options slow down the process of building a travel itinerary.
3. Pricing logic
Pricing structures are another area where the differences between B2C and B2B distribution become very clear.
In B2C marketplaces, prices are normally displayed per person and per ticket type.
The final price is calculated gradually as the traveler selects the number of participants and ticket categories. So the checkout process determines the final total.
In B2B distribution, this model is often impractical.
Travel agents and packaging systems usually need an immediate quote for the entire group. For large tour operators managing high booking volumes, obtaining a clear group price in a single response is essential to maintain fast itinerary building and automated packaging workflows.
Instead of calculating the price step by step, the API must return a result such as:
Total price for this group: €186
This allows the agent to quickly evaluate whether the activity fits within the overall travel package.
Group pricing simplifies the booking process and reduces the risk of manual calculation errors.
4. Product structure and content
Consumer platforms typically have internal teams dedicated to optimizing product listings.
These teams manage:
- content quality
- product mapping
- pricing rules
- catalogue organization
Many B2B distributors do not have this level of internal product management. Instead, they depend directly on the structure and quality of supplier data.
This means APIs must deliver products that are already well organized and easy to interpret.
A clear hierarchy helps ensure smooth integrations:
Product
→ Modality
→ Rates by age group
If this structure is inconsistent or ambiguous, it becomes much harder for distributors to integrate and maintain the catalogue.
5. Choice vs clarity
In B2C environments, offering many alternatives can be beneficial.
A traveler browsing an OTA may appreciate seeing several different options for the same attraction.
But in B2B environments, the situation is different.
Travel agents rarely have time to evaluate dozens of nearly identical products. This becomes even more critical for large-scale distributors whose systems may process thousands of itinerary searches per hour.
When building travel itineraries, they need:
- clear options
- consistent product structures
- minimal duplication
Presenting 20 or 30 similar products for the same attraction often creates confusion rather than value.
In B2B distribution, clarity is far more useful than abundance.
What a B2B-ready API should provide
If the tours and activities sector is to scale effectively within the B2B ecosystem, APIs need to be designed around the operational needs of travel distribution. Several capabilities are particularly important. This is particularly important for global tour operators, wholesalers and large distribution platforms whose technology infrastructure must support large product catalogues and complex packaging logic.
Retail and net pricing
B2B distribution requires flexibility in pricing structures. Some distributors operate with retail prices, while others prefer to work with net rates and apply their own margins.
For this reason, APIs should support both:
- retail rates
- net rates
This flexibility allows distributors to integrate products into their own commercial strategies without additional technical complexity.
Group-based search and pricing
A B2B API must be able to return results based on group composition.
This means the system should:
- validate applicable rates
- confirm availability
- calculate the total price for the group
Ideally, all of this information should be returned within a single response.
Without this functionality, booking workflows become slower and more complex.
Clear product–modality–rate structures
Product information should follow a consistent hierarchy.
A typical structure would be:
Product
→ Modality
→ Rates
Each rate should correspond to a clearly defined age category.
Simple and predictable structures make integrations easier and reduce operational errors.
Simplicity in rate configurations
Overly complex rate structures should be avoided whenever possible.
Examples of complexity that often creates problems include:
- overlapping discounts
- inconsistent age brackets
- multiple special pricing categories
While these structures may seem attractive from a commercial perspective, they often complicate integrations and booking flows.
In B2B distribution, simpler pricing structures tend to scale more effectively.
This is clear product structure, ready for B2B distribution:
This is an example of a product that simply can’t be distributed to B2B wholesalers and tour operators:
Clear definition of age ranges
Age categories must always be clearly defined.
For example:
- Adult: 18+
- Child: 6–17
- Infant: 0–5
Without clear definitions, booking engines cannot reliably calculate prices for different group configurations.
Standardized passenger data requirements
Booking workflows should request only the information that is strictly necessary.
Excessive mandatory questions slow down booking processes and create friction for travel agents.
Passenger data fields should be standardized whenever possible, and additional mandatory questions should be minimized.
Clear pickup point structures
For tours that involve transportation or meeting points, pickup information should follow a clear and consistent structure.
This includes:
- predefined pickup locations
- standardized descriptions
- clear time references
Inconsistent pickup information is one of the most common sources of operational issues in experience bookings.
Multi-item booking capability
B2B transactions often include multiple products within a single itinerary.
For example, a travel package may include:
- accommodation
- transfers
- experiences
An API should ideally support multi-item booking workflows or, at minimum, provide predictable and fast response times when bookings are made sequentially.
Instant voucher delivery
Once a booking is confirmed, the voucher or ticket should be generated immediately.
This is particularly important when experiences are part of larger travel packages.
Delivering documentation instantly ensures that agents can finalize the itinerary without additional manual steps.
Intelligent product selection
One of the biggest challenges in the experiences industry today is product duplication. Multiple suppliers may offer similar tickets for the same attraction.
For B2B distribution, APIs should ideally return:
- a single relevant option
or - a small curated set of options
instead of dozens of nearly identical products.
Reducing duplication helps simplify integrations and improves booking accuracy.
The opportunity ahead
The tours and activities sector still has enormous growth potential. Demand continues to expand as travelers increasingly seek memorable experiences as part of their trips. But scaling this growth across the global travel ecosystem requires infrastructure that reflects how the industry actually operates.
B2B distribution remains a critical channel connecting travelers with experiences around the world. Travel agencies, wholesalers and packaging platforms continue to play an essential role in building complex itineraries that combine flights, accommodation and activities. Large tour operators and wholesalers remain some of the most important buyers of experiences globally, integrating activities into millions of travel packages each year.
For this ecosystem to function efficiently, the underlying technology must evolve.
APIs designed primarily for consumer discovery do not always match the operational needs of professional travel distribution.
Without the right infrastructure, experiences risk being perceived as:
- difficult to integrate
- operationally inconsistent
- technically complex
And when that happens, a significant part of their market potential remains untapped.
Building better infrastructure for the experiences industry
At Globick, we see these challenges every day. Connectivity is not simply about linking systems together, it is about ensuring that those connections work efficiently for the people who rely on them. Many of the integrations we work with involve large-scale distributors and tour operators whose operational requirements are very different from those of consumer marketplaces.
For B2B distribution, this means APIs designed for:
- clarity
- speed
- reliability
When connectivity works properly, the benefits extend across the entire ecosystem:
- Suppliers reach new markets.
- Distributors simplify integrations.
- Travel agents build itineraries more efficiently.
- Travelers enjoy richer travel experiences.
The growth of the experiences sector will continue in the years ahead. But unlocking its full potential requires technology that understands a fundamental difference: browsing an experience is not the same as building a trip around it.
Cancellations in Travel Experiences: Adding Context to a Widely Misread Metric
Some of the most valuable industry insights don’t come from bold statements or polished conclusions, but from a simple, well-placed question. Let's talk about cancellations in travel experiences.
When Globick published its Travel Experiences 2025 study, one specific data point immediately stood out. Not because it was presented as a headline, but because it challenged a widely held assumption across the experiences industry: overall cancellation rates appeared lower than what is often assumed.
That observation caught the attention of Douglas Quinby at Arival. Rather than taking the figure at face value — or dismissing it as an outlier — the reaction was the right one: let’s understand what’s behind it.
So we went back to the data together.
Looking beyond the surface number of cancellations in travel experiences
The initial figure was based on a broad dataset of 200,000 experience bookings in 2025, and at an aggregate level it showed an overall cancellation rate of 6%. On its own, that number felt counterintuitive when compared with the perception many have of cancellations in travel experiences.
But cancellations, like most metrics in travel distribution, rarely tell the full story when viewed in isolation.
Once non-cancellable products — such as attraction tickets and city passes — were removed from the dataset, the picture changed quickly. Cancellation rates rose to 11.5%, revealing how much product composition influences any headline figure.
That first adjustment already pointed to a key insight: cancellations in travel experiences are not a uniform phenomenon. What is being sold matters as much as how often it is cancelled.
Booking timing adds another layer
As the analysis went deeper, one of the strongest correlations emerged between cancellation rates and advance booking windows.
Bookings made further in advance showed a much higher likelihood of being cancelled. Channels typically associated with long lead times, such as DMCs and traditional retail travel agencies, reached cancellation rates of up to 19.4%. By contrast, bookings made closer to the experience date — more common in consumer-facing online channels — showed materially lower cancellation rates, around 10.3% once non-cancellable products were excluded.
This distinction is critical because it reframes a common narrative. Flexible cancellation policies and consumer messaging certainly play a role, but timing and commitment are just as influential. Travelers who book closer to the experience date are, quite simply, less likely to cancel.
Why context matters
Seen through this lens, cancellations in travel experiences stop being a single metric and become a behaviour shaped by multiple variables: product type, booking window and commercial context.
When these factors are flattened into one percentage, it becomes easy to draw the wrong conclusions — about performance, risk, or where problems really lie. The deeper analysis shows that what initially looks like a contradiction is, in fact, a matter of missing context.
A broader industry blind spot
One thing became clear throughout this process: despite how frequently cancellations are discussed, there is still very little shared, benchmark-level data available across the industry. As a result, cancellations remain one of the most expensive blind spots, often managed through intuition rather than evidence.
The article published by Arival is valuable not only for the conclusions it draws, but for the process behind it: questioning assumptions, revisiting the data, and adding the context needed to interpret a single number correctly.
You can read the full analysis on Arival, based on Globick’s Travel Experiences 2025 research.
The global experiences market is consolidating as a fragmented, dynamic, and high-value segment: connectivity is key to grow at scale
The experiences segment continues to consolidate its position as one of the most active and diversified drivers of the travel industry. This is shown in the new report “Travel Experiences 2025: Insights on Traveler Behavior and Market Trends,” based on more than 200,000 bookings made between January and August 2025 (compared to the same period in 2024) within the Globick network, the B2B connectivity platform that simplifies the access to the supply of tourist experiences through a single technical integration.
The study offers a clear view of actual traveler behavior and current purchasing dynamics. The data shows a deeply fragmented market, where different patterns of anticipation coexist, spending levels are stable, behaviors differ between B2C and B2B channels, and there is notable seasonal variability. This diversity requires industry players to adopt a more flexible approach and a technological infrastructure capable of adapting to multiple booking flows.
The average time to purchase is 39 days, reflecting a trend toward earlier planning compared to 2024. Even so, last-minute behavior remains relevant, especially in summer, when it peaked at 23% of bookings. The cancellation rate remains stable at around 6%, an indicator that highlights the growing importance of flexibility as a decision-making criterion for travelers.
The report also reveals a strong geographical concentration. Italy, Spain, the United States, and France account for almost 80% of bookings, in line with the most visited destinations globally according to the UNWTO. Among these, the United States stands out in particular for its higher average spend, reinforcing its role as a key market for premium experiences.
In economic terms, the average ticket price stands at €88 and the spend per booking is around €200, a figure that points to couples traveling as the predominant format for the consumption of experiences.
Cultural experiences continue to lead demand, with products such as the New York Explorer Pass, the Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces in Granada, the Palace of Versailles in Paris, the Best of Rome Pass, and the Anne Frank Walking Tour in Amsterdam among the most booked globally. At the same time, categories such as gastronomy, outdoor activities, and nature are showing sustained growth, driven by the search for more authentic, healthy experiences linked to the local lifestyle.
Beyond the data described in the report, the conclusions point to a challenge shared by the entire sector: a highly fragmented experiences market, with multiple booking logics, different behaviors by channel, and a growing need for accurate and up-to-date information. For distributors, OTAs, and platforms to operate efficiently in this context, the industry needs a technological infrastructure capable of offering stable, scalable, and real-time connectivity.
It is in this scenario that Globick consolidates its role as Experiences Supplier Manager, a figure that goes beyond the traditional concept of aggregator or hub. Globick manages connectivity between experiences sellers and suppliers through a single API that unifies the technical relationship with suppliers, eliminates the burden of developing and maintaining dozens of integrations, and ensures that each connection performs at the levels required by the industry. And all this as a pure technological intermediary, allowing experience distributors to maintain or establish their own commercial conditions with suppliers.
As Xavier Boixeda, CEO of Globick, explains: “Today, the distribution of experiences requires precision, speed, and scalability. Our role is not to add more layers, but to make everything work better. As Experiences Supplier Manager, we centralize the connection with suppliers so that our partners can focus on growing, improving margins, and offering better experiences to travelers, without having to take on the technical complexity behind it.”
Globick's positioning as an Experiences Supplier Manager responds directly to what the industry is asking for: a simpler, faster, and more efficient way to connect distributors with suppliers. With more than 50 active APIs and 15 new integrations added in 2025 alone, the company is establishing itself as the technological infrastructure that enables the global distribution of experiences to scale without friction, without disproportionate technical costs, and without losing commercial control.
Globick, Juniper Travel Technology, and GoNexus Group have partnered to drive global B2B experiences
PALMA, SPAIN / CANCUN, MEXICO – NexusCube, the B2B division of GoNexus Group, and Juniper Travel Technology, a renowned global leader in travel technology, have formally entered into a strategic agreement with Globick, a prominent B2B connectivity platform for tours and experiences. This collaboration marks a significant step for NexusCube in its endeavor to establish itself as the leading company in the B2B distribution of travel experiences and mobility with more than 17,000 B2B travel partners worldwide.
“With this agreement, Globick will support the acceleration of new integrations with experience providers,” said Roberto Bermúdez, Managing Director of Nexus Cube & Director of Juniper Experiences by NexusTours. “This agreement positions us as one of the largest providers of experience and mobility services in the B2B world. Thanks to our scalable and efficient technology, combined with NexusCube’s robust distribution network of 17,000 B2B travel buyers, including OTAs, tour operators, and retail travel agencies worldwide, we enable the travel sector to offer these products to its customers and partners”, he added.
Juniper’s technology, through its specialized division, Juniper Experiences by NexusTours and NexusCube, will leverage its extensive distribution capacity in the B2B segment. At the same time, Globick will ensure access to its comprehensive portfolio of API integrations to supplier’s booking technology. These additions will complement NexusCube’s extensive portfolio of +220,000 experiences, +8,000 mobility options in +1,000 airports, and +3,000 theme parks. “Our goal is to offer our technology to empower the marketplace, enabling increased supply from operators without the complexities of API development and integrations”, commented Xavier Boixeda, CEO of Globick.
Our companies are committed to evolving the experiences and mobility market by providing access to an increasingly broad range of products using the best connection technology. “We are convinced that this alliance will not only expand the offering for our clients but also create new opportunities to expand their businesses globally with a scalable and efficient solution,” stated Juan Mateos, CEO of Juniper Travel Technology.
This agreement underscores the mission of NexusCube, Juniper Travel Technology and Globick to lead the experiences and mobility market, making it easier for travelers around the world to access innovative and relevant products that transform their journeys into unforgettable experiences.
Globick joins ITB Berlin 2025 as part of the Spanish TravelTech Pavilion
Barcelona, February 2025 — Globick will be attending ITB Berlin 2025, one of the world’s leading travel trade shows, as part of the Spanish TravelTech Pavilion organized by ICEX and SEGITTUR, in collaboration with the Economic and Trade Commission of Spain in Berlin.
From March 4–6, Globick will showcase its connectivity platform for tours, activities, and attractions at the ICEX Pavilion, joining a selected group of twelve Spanish TravelTech companies that are helping redefine the digital future of tourism.
The pavilion brings together some of Spain’s most innovative technology providers, including ADESTIC, Bioscore Sustainability, Doblemente, INSYDE, PaynoPain, Bytetravel, Bookline.ai, Eccocar, Hoteligy, Nubart, Turbosuite — and Globick.
As a B2B connectivity hub, Globick enables travel sellers to access a growing global network of experiences suppliers through a single API connection, reducing technical overhead and accelerating distribution scalability.
Visit Globick at ITB Berlin 2025 — Spanish TravelTech Pavilion (ICEX Stand)
To schedule a meeting, contact us at hello@globick.com
Prioticket Partners with Globick to Expand Distribution for Supply Partners
Amsterdam – May 13, 2025 – Prioticket, a leading connectivity platform for tours, activities, and attractions, has announced a strategic partnership with Globick, a global distribution and connectivity technology provider. This new integration will empower Prioticket’s supply partners, whether suppliers, reservation systems, or aggregators, to seamlessly access Globick’s extensive distribution network, unlocking new sales opportunities and expanding their global reach.
Seamless Connectivity to a Wider Distribution Portfolio
Through this partnership, any supplier or reservation system connected to Prioticket can now distribute their products via Globick’s curated network of global distributors, including OTAs, travel agencies, and other key resellers like Veltra, Viajes el Corte Inglés, Hellotickets or Avoris group. By leveraging Globick’s advanced connectivity solutions, Prioticket’s partners gain a powerful tool to increase visibility, optimize inventory management, and maximize bookings across multiple sales channels.
“This partnership with Globick reinforces our commitment to providing seamless distribution for our supply partners,” said Gert-Jan Ruiter, CEO of Prioticket. “By integrating with Globick’s unique portfolio of distributors, we are expanding access to more global resellers, ensuring our partners can sell their products effortlessly through a single connection.”
Unlocking New Sales Channels for the Travel Industry
With this integration, Prioticket continues to enhance its role as a centralized hub for the tours, activities, and attractions industry, making it easier for suppliers and reservation systems to scale their distribution without additional technical complexity.
“This partnership with Prioticket strengthens our extensive network of integrated reservation systems,” said Xavier Boixeda, CEO at Globick. “As a highly relevant name in the industry, Prioticket enables us to offer our clients broader access to more operators through a fully featured integration, seamlessly supporting content, real-time availability and pricing, as well as booking and cancellations.”
A Milestone for Global Distribution in the Travel Industry
The Prioticket and Globick partnership represents a major step forward in enabling frictionless connectivity for the travel industry. By simplifying integrations and expanding distribution opportunities, this collaboration empowers suppliers to reach a broader audience while optimizing their operations.
In an industry where technology platforms often compete rather than collaborate, Prioticket and Globick are taking a different approach. This partnership is not about the technology systems themselves, it is about delivering the best possible service and technology for the partners of technology platforms. By working together, we are setting a new standard for open collaboration, proving that connectivity should be about enabling suppliers and distributors rather than limiting them.
As the demand for seamless travel experiences continues to rise, Prioticket and Globick remain committed to driving innovation and growth for suppliers, distributors, and travelers alike.