How Eagle Wing Tours recovered $367K with TripWorks

Challenge

Navigating a sea of operational complexity

For nearly three decades, Eagle Wing Tours has been helping guests experience one of the world's richest marine ecosystems. But according to co-owner Brett Soberg, whale watching has never been the company's true business: "We're a conservation organization that happens to do whale watching."

That philosophy has shaped Eagle Wing since Brett and his fellow Co-founder and GM Don Stewart acquired the Victoria, British Columbia-based operator in 2005. Rather than competing solely on wildlife sightings in a crowded market of nearly 30 operators across Victoria, Vancouver, and Seattle, Eagle Wing chose a different course. The company became Canada's first carbon-neutral whale watching operator, invested more than $1.8 million in local conservation, research, habitat restoration, and education initiatives, and built a business around what Brett calls regenerative tourism — leaving ecosystems healthier than they found them.

Eagle Wing Tours is proof that when the right company and technology partner pull in the same direction, purpose and performance rise together. "We make the right choices for the right reasons,” Brett says. “Getting bums in seats is a positive bi-product of making the correct choices for the right reasons."

As travelers increasingly seek out companies whose values align with their own, Eagle Wing has grown from a single open-air vessel into a fleet of five custom-built boats, carrying more than 510 guests each day during peak season. The company has pioneered longer excursions, sunset tours, innovative photography packages, and immersive educational experiences, earning recognition as one of Canada's highest-rated tourism operators and a place among TripAdvisor's Top 1% worldwide.

Rapid growth, however, brought an entirely new level of operational complexity. Eagle Wing coordinates up to 12 departures, balancing weather, wildlife activity, seasonal staffing, vessel availability, guest communications, and regulations that span both Canadian and US waters. As the business expanded, the reservation system that had supported earlier stages simply couldn't keep pace. Reporting became increasingly manual, operational workflows grew more cumbersome, and the booking experience no longer reflected the premium guest journey Eagle Wing had worked so hard to create.

"We were scaling more quickly than they were, and our operational needs started to really kind of supersede," Brett recalls. "Gaps were starting to form, and those gaps became operationally very challenging."

The company needed a technology partner that could scale the operation without losing sight of the experience. They needed a company that understood adventure tourism, could scale alongside the business, and shared Eagle Wing's commitment to continuous innovation.

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Solution

A partner built to go the distance

That search led Eagle Wing to TripWorks.

After meeting the team at the 2024 Arival 360 conference in San Diego, Brett immediately recognized a shared philosophy. What stood out wasn't just an impressive feature list; it was TripWorks' commitment to building technology that stays ahead of where operators are today and evolves for where the journey takes them tomorrow.

"We wanted a partner that would scale alongside us and be receptive to helping us scale appropriately as our needs changed," Brett says.

The timing was ambitious. Eagle Wing was simultaneously launching a redesigned website and implementing a new HR communication scheduling platform. Three major technology initiatives, all happening within the same window, could have created significant disruption during one of the company's busiest periods.

Instead, the implementation became the foundation for a long-term partnership. TripWorks' onboarding team traveled to Victoria to work directly with Eagle Wing, guiding the migration, training staff, and remaining highly responsive throughout the process.

"We wanted a partner that would scale alongside us and be receptive to helping us scale appropriately as our needs changed.”  

- Brett Soberg, Co-founder, Eagle Wing

"Switching systems is always intimidating," Brett says. "But it went as well as it possibly could have." Today, TripWorks powers nearly every aspect of Eagle Wing's operation. Managers use the calendar and manifest views to monitor inventory across five vessels, adjust seat capacity, coordinate staffing around changing weather conditions, and manage the hundreds of guests moving through the operation each day. Reporting provides instant visibility into sales performance—from monthly trends to daily bookings—while automation has reduced manual work across reservations and guest communications.

The improvements have extended well beyond the operations team, rippling across the entire adventure from booking to the moment guests set out on the water. Guests now move through a smoother booking experience with fewer frustrations, while staff spend less time navigating manual processes and more time focused on delivering memorable wildlife encounters. Regular check-ins with the TripWorks team ensure the platform continues evolving alongside Eagle Wing's business, creating the kind of collaborative partnership Brett believes is essential.

Results

Recovering $367,000 in lost revenue

One of the most immediate wins came from TripWorks' abandoned cart recovery tools. What had previously been lost revenue became recovered bookings, generating over $367,000 in additional sales. “That was money left on the table,” Brett says. “So, it’s a no-brainer — that tech is huge.”

At the same time, improvements throughout the booking journey have reduced guest complaints related to reservations, while staff consistently report that the platform is easier to use and requires fewer manual touchpoints. Better reporting and operational visibility have also given leadership the confidence to make faster, more informed decisions as the business continues to expand.

TripWorks is one part of a broader growth engine that’s helping Eagle Wing catch a strong tailwind. Alongside investments in marketing and the guest experience, the company reported 25% year-over-year revenue growth, reaching $8.2 million last year and tracking toward nearly $10 million this year. It also generated more than 1,000 online reviews, earned recognition among TripAdvisor’s Top 1% worldwide, and was named the #2 experience in Canada.

For Brett, though, the most meaningful outcome isn't found on a balance sheet.

As Eagle Wing grows, so does its ability to invest in conservation, education, and scientific research. Every operational improvement creates more capacity to deliver on the company's larger mission: connecting people with the natural world in ways that inspire them to protect it.

"Tourism is one of the few industries that can actually move the needle in a positive way," Brett says. "When people have that emotional connection with nature, they're motivated to learn more, do more, and put boots on the ground."

Looking ahead, Eagle Wing sees artificial intelligence, automation, and continued innovation as the next wave of opportunity. With a renewed partnership in place, Brett is confident TripWorks will continue helping the company navigate whatever lies beyond the horizon. "The proof is in the pudding," he says. "The business is healthy, and TripWorks is right alongside us."

Frequently asked questions

How much revenue did Eagle Wing Tours recover with TripWorks?

Eagle Wing Tours recovered more than $367,000 in bookings using TripWorks' abandoned cart recovery tools.

How does Eagle Wing Tours use TripWorks?

The team uses TripWorks to manage bookings, capacity, manifests, reporting, automation, and guest communications across five vessels.

What kind of operator is Eagle Wing Tours?

Eagle Wing Tours is a conservation-first whale-watching operator based in Victoria, British Columbia.