Digital Marketing for Tourism Operators · NZ, AU, US, UK & CA

Digital marketing for tourism operators that wins more direct bookings.

OTAs fill your calendar, then keep a big slice of every booking. We help adventure, tour and lodge operators get found by travellers and booked direct, so more of the money stays with you.

Get more direct bookings → See how direct bookings work
★★★★★ 5.0 from real client reviews
✦ Your direct bookings engine ↑ growing
  • Web DesignBook direct, on your site
    on
  • SEOFound for activity + place
    on
  • Google AdsYour brand, protected
    on
  • AEOThe answer travellers get
    on
  • GEONamed by AI trip planners
    on
Every channel, more direct bookings

The basics

What is digital marketing for tourism operators?

Digital marketing for tourism operators is how a tour, activity or lodge business gets found, trusted and booked online by travellers, ideally on your own site rather than through an OTA. It brings together your website, SEO, Google Ads and AI search so people planning a trip find you first and book direct.

EightySix Digital is a digital marketing agency for tourism and adventure operators, based in Christchurch, New Zealand, helping operators win more direct bookings from visitors across New Zealand, Australia, the UK, the US and Canada.

  • It’s about bookings, not clicks. The goal is more direct bookings and less commission, not vanity traffic.
  • Travellers plan before they book. Searches, reviews and AI tools shape the trip long before anyone pays.
  • Run from the South Island. A Christchurch base, close to New Zealand’s adventure tourism heartland.

Why direct bookings

Keep more of every booking. Own the customer.

OTAs are a useful shopfront, but you pay on every booking. The aim is a healthier mix, not going cold turkey.

01

Keep more of every booking

OTAs commonly take around 20 to 30% of each booking, depending on the platform and your contract. A booking made on your own site keeps that margin with you.

02

Own the guest relationship

A direct booking puts the guest in your hands: you can answer their questions, look after them properly and invite them back, or send their mates your way.

03

Control your story and your calendar

Your own site shows your best photos, your guides and your reviews, with availability managed in one place, not scattered across listings.

04

Less reliance on one platform

Fees, rankings and algorithms change. A site that ranks, a strong Google profile and a presence in AI answers mean no single platform controls your bookings.

Stu Clark, founder of EightySix Digital
Stu ClarkFounder · Christchurch, New Zealand

From Christchurch, for tourism operators

Marketing from the South Island, aimed at the world.

I’m Stu. EightySix Digital runs from Christchurch, close to the heart of New Zealand’s South Island tourism. I know how much of an operator’s year rides on a few good months, and how much of each booking can disappear before it reaches you.

Most of your guests don’t live down the road. I market to audiences in the UK, US, Australia and Canada as well as New Zealand, so I know how to put an experience in front of someone planning a trip from the other side of the world.

Karamu Horse Adventures is one example: a family horse-trekking business near Hamilton, with a website built to take bookings and SEO to get it found. No bullshit, just more bookings on your own site.

Results from a tourism client

We focus on getting you more direct bookings.

3,000+clicks from Google search in 10 weeks, for one tourism client
250+non-brand search terms in Google’s top 5, for one tourism client
25+countries sending clicks from Google search in 10 weeks, for one tourism client
5.0★average rating from 18 reviews

Read the Karamu Horse Adventures case study →

What we do

Everything to win more direct bookings.

Each is a service in its own right, built for tourism operators, and they work even harder together.

Prices in

Web Design for Tourism Operators

Fast, mobile-first sites with your booking system built in, so a visitor can go from looking to booked on your own site.

fromNZ$900one-off

Explore web design →

SEO for Tourism Operators

Rank for the activity and the place, win the map pack and turn great reviews into bookings, including the last-minute ones.

fromNZ$600/mo

Explore SEO →

Google Ads for Tourism Operators

Seasonal campaigns aimed at the countries your guests come from, with your own brand searches protected.

fromNZ$600/mo

Explore Google Ads →

AEO AI answers

Be the operator named and cited when travellers ask AI assistants and voice search for ideas.

Includedin every SEO plan

Explore AEO →

GEO for Tourism Operators AI trip planning

Get recommended in ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity when travellers plan their trip with an AI tool.

add-on fromNZ$600/mo

Explore GEO →

Free SEO Audit

Not sure where to start? See exactly what’s holding your tourism website back, on the house.

Freeup to 5 pages

Get your free audit →

Most operators combine two or three. Tell us your goals, your seasons and your budget and we’ll build a tailored plan around them. Want the whole picture first? See how these fit together to win more direct bookings, or see how AI tools talk about tourism operators in our tourism AI visibility report.

Get a tailored plan →

What OTAs really cost

How much is OTA commission costing you?

Commission feels small booking by booking. Added up over a season it’s often one of the biggest costs in the business. Run your own numbers and see what shifting a share of bookings to direct could be worth.

Work out your commission bill. Put in your own bookings, booking value and commission rate, and see what moving a share of them direct could be worth.

Try the calculator →

Who we help

Built for tourism and adventure businesses of every kind.

From a family-run guide with one boat to a multi-activity operator with a full team, if you want more of your guests booking you directly, this works.

  • Adventure activity operators
  • Guided tours
  • Heli-ski and heli-hike
  • Fishing guides and lodges
  • Boutique lodges
  • Jet boat and rafting
  • Wildlife and eco tours
  • Ski and winter operators

How we work

A simple process. Real results.

  1. 01

    Discover

    We learn your experiences, your seasons and where bookings come from today, direct and OTA.

  2. 02

    Plan

    A tailored plan to shift the share of bookings you can, using the right mix of site, search, ads and AI visibility for your budget.

  3. 03

    Build

    Your booking-ready site, Google profile, campaigns and tracking, set up so every booking has a source.

  4. 04

    Grow

    We measure direct bookings, then refine and scale what works, month after month and season after season.

Awesome experience with setting up a new business website, patient, helpful, great explanations and communication, brilliant timeframe. Highly recommend!

Karamu Horse Adventures · Google review

Common questions

Tourism marketing FAQs.

Still wondering something? Get in touch and ask.

What is digital marketing for tourism operators?

Digital marketing for tourism operators is how a tour, activity or lodge business gets found, trusted and booked online by travellers. It brings together your website, SEO, Google Ads and AI search so people planning a trip find you first, and book with you directly rather than through an OTA.

How do I get more direct bookings and rely less on Viator or GetYourGuide?

Make your own site the easiest place to find you and the easiest place to book. That means a fast, mobile-first site with your booking system built in, SEO and a strong Google Business Profile so travellers find you for the activity and the place, Google Ads that protect your brand searches, and a clear presence in AI answers. Most operators keep OTAs for reach and shift the share they can to direct over time. See how direct bookings work →

Should I stop using OTAs altogether?

Not necessarily. OTAs give you reach, and some bookings are worth the cost. The problem is relying on them for everything, because the commission, commonly around 20 to 30% and varying by platform and contract, comes off every booking. Aim for a better mix, not a clean break, and check your agreement for anything about pricing or contacting guests before you change how you sell.

How much does digital marketing for tourism operators cost?

It depends on the mix. A tourism website starts from NZ$900 one-off, SEO from NZ$600/mo, Google Ads management from NZ$600/mo plus your ad budget, and GEO for AI search is an add-on from NZ$600/mo. Most operators combine two or three, and we build a tailored plan around your goals, seasons and budget. See full pricing →

How long until I see more direct bookings?

Google Ads can send travellers to your site within days of launch. SEO and a stronger Google profile usually take a few months to build and then compound, and AI visibility is a longer game again. Results vary by destination, competition and season, and we won’t promise numbers. Starting before your busy season gives the work time to land.

Will this work with my booking system, like FareHarbor, Rezdy or Checkfront?

We build around the booking system you already use, whether that’s FareHarbor, Rezdy, Checkfront or something else. We check what your system supports before we quote, so there are no surprises later. See web design for tourism operators →

Can you market to visitors from the UK, US, Australia and Canada?

Yes. We target by country in search and ads, write for how those travellers actually search, and build sites that load fast on a phone anywhere in the world. See Google Ads for tourism operators and SEO for tourism operators for how.

Do you only work with tourism operators in New Zealand?

No. We work with businesses across New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and price in NZD, AUD, USD, GBP and CAD.

Let’s get you more direct bookings.

Tell me about your experiences and where your bookings come from today, and I’ll show you the smartest way to book more of them direct.

Get more direct bookings → All digital marketing