TripAdvisor is looking to capture some of the momentum around the growth of tours and activities by partnering with GetYourGuide to be a booking service for products.
The Berlin-based startup (see TLabs Showcase - GetYourGuide) has signed a two year-deal so that visitors to the Things To Do section on TripAdvisor will be able to purchase any attraction, tour or activity on the GetYourGuide system direct from a Book Now button.
The feature is expected to launch in the next few weeks and will initially be available on the US, UK, Ireland and Germany versions of TripAdvisor.
Once a user clicks the Book Now service they will be directed to the appropriate booking page on GetYourGuide for the particular product.
Perhaps most importantly, given that many such services would be searched for and purchased in-resort, similar functionality will be included on the TripAdvisor mobile apps.
GetYourGuide CEO Johannes Reck says adding the direct booking service is a "smart step" by TripAdvisor to give travellers more options when researching a trip - an important point given that TripAdvisor is still probably best known for hotel reviews.
For the young startup the deal is significant. Local tour and activity providers will be perhaps more eager than before to join a booking system such as GetYourGuide when they see rival providers on TripAdvisor with a Book Now button next to their service.
In the context of the tours and activities market, the deal illustrates how some of the large players in wider online travel sector are eyeing the opportunity to bolster their existing product lines.
This hasn't been possible until more recently given that many tour and activity providers have either not had the willing or ability to tap into online distribution services, both for transactions or marketing purposes.