How the Best Experience Operators Are Winning More Bookings in 2026
Our CEO and founder, Aaron Fessler, recently joined Dan Christian on the Travel Trends podcast for the In-Destination Experiences Series. Drawing on his background in enterprise technology and as the founder of the Las Vegas attraction Speed Vegas, Aaron shared where the tours, activities, and attractions industry is headed - and what operators can do about it now. Here are the answers to the questions we hear most.
Why are more travelers booking activities before they leave home?
Planning behavior has shifted. Travelers increasingly research and lock in their experiences before they ever arrive at the destination, rather than deciding on the ground. For operators, that means your storefront needs to be discoverable and bookable early in the trip-planning journey not just at the hotel concierge desk. The demand for personalized experiences and flexible booking options is only growing, and the operators who capture intent early are the ones filling their calendars.
Should I focus on managing bookings or growing revenue?
Aaron’s core message: stop thinking of your software as a way to simply manage bookings, and start thinking about growing revenue. That comes from better customer journeys, smarter marketing, and a deliberate push toward direct bookings. A reservation system that only processes transactions leaves money on the table. The winners treat every touchpoint a discovery, checkout, follow-up as an opportunity to increase conversion and lifetime value.
How should I balance OTAs with direct bookings?
Third-party channels and OTAs still play an important role in distribution and reach, but leaning on them exclusively is risky and expensive. The right move is balance: use OTAs to fill gaps and reach new audiences, while investing in the direct channel where you own the customer relationship and keep more margin. Striking that balance has never been more important, and it’s a decision every operator should be making intentionally rather than by default.
What does AI mean for how travelers find my experiences?
Looking ahead, AI-powered discovery, chat-based trip planning, and agentic commerce could fundamentally reshape how travelers find, book, and experience activities. Instead of scrolling listings, travelers will increasingly ask an assistant to plan and book for them. To stay visible in that world, operators need clean, structured, well-distributed product data and a booking flow that machines as well as people can navigate. The operators preparing for this shift now will be the ones surfaced when it arrives.
The takeaway for operators
The booking is no longer the finish line - it’s the starting point of the guest relationship. Capture demand early, optimize the full customer journey, balance your distribution mix, and get ready for AI-driven discovery. That’s how the best experience operators are winning more bookings in 2026.
Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Amazon Music.
Stop guessing. Start growing with TripWorks.
Schedule a consultation with a senior growth expert.
